Jude the Dude, and Nick the Chick
by TrekkerTim
Summary: Judas Hopps has worked his tail off all his life to become a big city cop, but when he finally makes it to Zootopia he finds that everything is not what he hoped. Forced to risk everything to save his dream, he teams up with con-vixen, Nicole Wilde to find a missing otter, but they end up finding so much more. Gender swapped AU
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:  
Hey everyone, this is my first fanfic, so please go easy on me in the reviews! :P I've been trying to think of an original idea for my own story (if I can stay motivated to finish it), and this was probably the best idea I could come up with so far. This story was prompted by me wondering how the movie might have gone if Judy had been born a boy, and Nick had been born a girl. I have seen several other stories on this site where Nick was the cop, and Judy the con artist, but I haven't seen any that swapped the genders of the two main characters, but I apologise if it has in fact been done, and I'm not being as original as I thought. So here goes nothing...**

 *****AUTHOR'S UPDATE*****

 **To any new readers, I would like to let you know that as I have continued writing and learning through this story, I feel as if my technique and originality have improved somewhat over the course of it. So, I only think it fair to warn you that my first few chapters are of, what I would consider, sub-standard quality, both in terms of writing skill, but mostly in terms of story line. It is my intention at some point to come back and clean up what I can, but I am focused more on finishing the main story arc at the present time. Therefore, I ask that you do not judge me too harshly on the earlier chapters, and if you are able, to soldier through to where things begin to improve and my story develops its own character.**

 *****Chapter edited on** **18 July 2017*****

* * *

 _Chapter 1: Carrot Days Festival_

"Fear. Treachery. Bloodlust. Thousands of years ago, these were the forces that ruled our world. The world where prey were scared of predators, and predators had an uncontrollable, biological urge to maim and maul and-"

"Rraar!" A young leopard cub pounced on the young rabbit buck narrating from the spotlight on the otherwise darkened stage.

"Ahhhhh!" Judas screamed, "Blood! Blood! Blood!" he continued as he threw red streamers from his chest, then fell backwards onto the stage convulsing dramatically, leaving the cub standing awkwardly in the middle of the brightening stage. Judas cast about with his right paw frantically looking for the tomato sauce bottle he knew was hidden behind some fake grass. Finally clasping it, he pulled it to his side and clenched it between his arm and side, spraying sticky red liquid all over himself and the stage. "...and death…" he gasped, giving one more squeeze of the sauce bottle for good measure.

In the audience, Judas' mother sighed and buried her face in her paws, while his father looked up from his video camera with surprise, and a little awe. Many of Judas' younger siblings had also crammed into the barn, and all of them watched in rapt fascination, several bouncing up and down on their seats trying to get a better view of their big brother.

A young mountain lion cub, Steven, started beating a drum off the side of the stage and the audience quieted down.

"Back then, the world was divided in two," chirped in Judas, jumping up from where he had only moments ago suffered a horrific 'death', sauce staining the grey fur-coloured costume he was wearing. "Vicious predators," he pointed to Max, the young leopard cub who had attacked him, and then stood awkwardly on stage for Judas' prolonged demise. He now struck as aggressive a pose as he could manage and hissed at the audience to emphasize Judas' point. "And meek prey!" finished Judas, pretending to cower away. Two large cardboard boxes, labelled according to the roles Judas had just listed, descended on ropes to cover both actors. Lilly, a black lamb dressed in a white dress with a cardboard rainbow fixed above her head pranced onto stage. Throwing flower petals around, while Steven played more dramatic music.

"But over time," Judas' voice came loudly from within his box, "we evolved, and moved beyond our primitive, savage ways. Now predator and prey live in harmony!" The boxes slowly lifted up to reveal the two former adversaries dressed in clean white robes, all traces of 'blood' gone from Judas and the stage beneath him. They moved forward to shake each other's paws in friendship, before turning to face the audience. "And nowadays, every young mammal has multitudinous opportunities," he finished, looking over to his left where Lilly stood.

"Yeah, I don't have to cower in a heard anymore," Lilly exclaimed. "Instead, I can be an astronaut!" she pulled off her white robe and rainbow headpiece, revealing a homemade spacesuit. She quickly fished out a matching helmet from behind a fake bush on stage and added it to her costume. Steven blew a short warbling tune on his tin whistle, reminiscent of so many older science fiction movies. A few surprised laughs broke out from the audience, and a smattering of applause could be heard.

"I don't have to be a lonely hunter anymore," Max stepped forwards, a shy smile on his face. "Instead, I can hunt for tax exemptions," he removed his robe to reveal a rather smart looking business suit. He picked a stylish fountain pen out of his pocket and continued with more confidence, "I'm gonna be an actuary!" Cash register sounds played from Steven's stereo this time accompanied by more laughs and applause from the audience.

"And I can make the world a better place," claimed Judas stepping forward to centre stage, "I am going to be…" Steven pressed the on button for his radio, and an upbeat tune began spilling out of the speakers, "a police officer!" declared Judas loudly. He ripped off his own robe with a flourish to reveal a perfect replica of a real police uniform, complete with badge and utility belt. A matching blue cap flew in from the side of the stage like an over-sized frisbee. Judas snatched it out of the air and slapped it onto his head with a broad grin. In the audience, both Stuart and Bonnie Hopps went wide eyed with shock, while the rest of the audience had mixed responses. Some clapped, some gasped and still others laughed. In fact, one laugh could be easily heard over all the rest.

"Hehehehe! Bunny cop! That is the _most_ stupidest thing I ever heard!" cackled a slightly chubby fox in the audience.

"It may seem impossible to small minds, like yours Gideon Grey," replied Judas easily with a light smirk, "but just 211 miles away, stands the great city of Zootopia!" The curtain at the back of the stage began to rise up revealing a colourful, hand painted poster of the city. "Zootopia! The place where mammals of _all kinds_ came together and declared that anyone can be anything!" Judas practically yelled the last few words as Lilly and Max raised a banner behind him with those last four words emblazoned across it. "Thank you and good night!" he called as the three actors bowed, and Steven played a final fanfare on his keyboard before the curtain closed and everyone filed out of the barn.

* * *

After he had finished thanking and congratulating his friends in the play, Judas bounded off, still in his miniature uniform, to meet his parents at the door to the barn, each of them taking one of his paws in theirs as they went off to enjoy the rest of the day at the Carrot Days festival.

"Hey Jude," Stu began cautiously, "have you ever wondered how your mother and I got to be so darn happy?"

"Nope. Not really." The sun was out, the air was warm and Judas could smell the delicious scent of carrots frying and roasting rising from different stalls. There was too much going on about him for him to concentrate fully on his Father's question.

"Well, it's because we gave up on our dreams a long time ago, and we settled for the life we had, right Bon?"

"Oh yes that's right Stu, we settled hard!" she smiled.

"See, that's what's so great about complacency, if you don't try new things, you never fail at them."

"But I like trying new things actually," Judas answered easily. He bounded up atop a row of hay bales that lined the edge of the popular hay maze. His parents quickly bounced over to try and keep up with him.

"What your father's trying to say," Bonnie chimed in, "is that it's going to be extremely difficult, perhaps even impossible for you to become a police officer!"

"Right! There's never been a bunny cop. Never! Bunnies just never do that stuff, ever!" Stu continued.

"Oh," Judas ears drooped for just a second before he perked up again, "Well, there's a first time for everything, I guess that I'll just have to be the first one then!" The spring returning to his step with his latest conviction. "Because I _am_ going to make the world a better place!" he declared, bounding ahead of his parents and springing off a food vendor's cart to do a somersault. His parents looked worriedly at each other before racing forward to catch up with their deviant son, grasping at straws now, Stu tried a new tactic.

"Well, uh, heck, you talk about wanting to make the world a better place? No better way to do it than providing good quality fresh carrots and other vegetables to mammals. I mean, imagine if there were no carrot farmers like us?"

"Yes! Your dad, me, your 275 brothers and sisters! Changing the world, one carrot at a time!" Bonnie continued, while Stu agreed vigorously next to her.

"Carrot farming is a noble profession. Enjoying the fresh air every day," he looked to his wife, a lazy smile filling his face.

"Mmmm, just putting the seeds in the ground."

"At one with the soil! Just getting covered in dirt-"

"You're starting to ramble dear," Bonnie smiled at her husband "I mean it's great to have dreams-"

"Of course! Just as long as you don't believe in 'em too much-" Stu turned back to his son, to find that he'd disappeared. "Oh cripes! Where the heck has he gone now?"

* * *

Judas had quickly lost interest in his parents' rambling, and his eyes began to wonder. As he glanced around a flash of burnt orange caught his eye. It was of course that big bully of a fox, Gideon Grey. Judas' eyes narrowed as he watched the shifty character and his weasel goon, Travis, start to follow a group of two lambs, one of them Lilly, and a young rabbit kit. So, just like any good cop, Judas decided he'd best follow as well to see if that sneaky fox was up to no good again.

Peering around a tree trunk, Judas watched as Gideon marched up to Lilly, and demanded all of them hand over their carnival tickets, "Or I'll kick your meek little sheep but!" he threatened as he pushed Lilly backwards.

"Ow! Cut it out Gideon, they're ours!" pleaded Lilly, struggling to keep the fearful quiver out of her voice.

"Baaaa!" he sneered "What're you gonna do? Cry?" He snatched the tickets straight out of Lilly's hoof with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Hey!" interrupted Judas in a loud voice, "You heard her, cut it out! Go get your own!"

"Nice costume dweeb! But I think someone forgot to tell you that Halloween isn't until next month!" Gideon laughed. "What crazy world do you think you're livin' in where a stupid bunny like you could be a cop?" he spat.

"Kindly return my friend's tickets!" Judas ignored the expected insult and stuck his paw out, hoping, but not really expecting, that Gideon would do just that. Instead, the fox laughed and patted the front pocket of his denim overalls where he had put them.

"Come and get them!" he sneered down at the much smaller rabbit, "But you'd better watch out, 'cause like you said in your dumb play, predators like us foxes used to eat cute little prey animals like you. And that savage instinct's still in our denna!"

"Uh, Gid, I'm pretty sure it's pronounced dee-en-ay," interrupted the weasel from behind Gideon.

"Shut up Travis, I know that!"

"Well guess what, you don't scare me Gideon!" Judas declared, standing tall and doing his best to look intimidating.

"Yeah? Well we'll see about that!" Gideon replied with a grin. The fox quickly closed the gap and pushed Judas. Hard. The buck stumbled back several paces before he managed to regain his balance. The other three prey decided that now was a good time to get out of the way and they quickly ran unnoticed to hide behind a nearby tree. Meanwhile Judas stood up tall, and took a step forward.

"One more chance Gideon, give back my friend's tickets now!" he demanded, sounding more confident than he felt.

"Ha! You just don't know when to quit do ya?" the fox menaced as he stalked forward to meet Judas, but instead of doing what he was told, he went to push Judas again. But this time Judas was ready for it. Sidestepping to the left, he let the bully's momentum carry him forwards before landing a moderately good punch to his side, momentarily winding the larger predator.

"Ow! Oh now you're in for it you piece of trash!" he snarled in response, before quickly lashing out with a right hook, catching the rabbit on the jaw. He immediately followed up with a left jab to his stomach, causing a now crying Judas to stumble backwards once again. But before he could fall over, he felt someone grab his right arm to steady him. He looked up with confusion, blinking through his tears to see Gideon leering down at him with all of his sharp teeth bared.

"I bet you're scared of me now you stupid rabbit!" he spat as he drew back his right paw with his claws extended, "And I want you to think of this day whenever you think that you can be _anything_ other than a _dumb_ carrot farming bunny," he suddenly slashed down with his claws. He laughed to himself and high-fived Travis as they walked off. Judas looked down in shock to see three long jagged rents in his carefully made police uniform tracing from the left side of his chest, almost down to his right hip. Underneath he could see blood starting to well up from the long, painful scratches. They weren't deep enough to be dangerous, but they still hurt like the devil! He gingerly placed his paw to his chest, and stared as it came away covered in blood. His three friends raced up to him to see how he was.

"Jude! Are you alright?" asked Lilly,

"That looks bad!" the other lamb fretted. "Do you want me to go and get your parents?"

"No John, I'll be fine, plus they'll only freak out more if they see me like this," Judas winced as he reached into his back pocket to pull out the carnival tickets that had started the whole affair. "Anyway, I think these belong to you guys-"

"Wow! How'd you get those?" John exclaimed.

"I managed to grab them when he tried to push me the second time, and then I put them in my pocket so he wouldn't see them."

"You're amazing Jude!" Lilly gushed, "That fox doesn't know what he's talking about! You'd make a great cop!"

"Well, he was right about one thing," Judas said with a thin smile, before answering the confused looks he got from the other three, "I don't know when to quit!" They all laughed together at this for a minute before Judas shakily stood up, leaning heavily on John's arm. "Um, by the way, do you think that one of you could go and grab my spare shirt from my bag in the back of my dad's truck? I don't want my parents to see me like this, they'll probably never let me out of the house again if they do. Oh, and some bandages as well!" he called to Lilly as she jumped up to do as he asked.

"What are you going to tell them about your face then?" John asked indicating the black eye that Judas was quickly developing.

"Well, I'll have to tell them that Gideon was just being a bully again, but this time he got a bit more, uh, 'vocal' about it. They won't like it, but at least they won't lock me in my room for the next 15 years! Remember, I've got a lot of work to do if I'm going to become Zootopia's first rabbit cop!"

Little did Judas know just how right he was…

* * *

 **AN:  
** **So, obviously a lot of this chapter was taken directly from the film without much modification, however, as the story progresses, I aim to have the characters develop along different lines to the characters in the movie. Small differences in their past will cause larger deviations in their characters in the future (ripple effects and all). For example, I intend to have Judas being a bit more sarcastic, yet still naive, and Nicole (Nicky) to be a bit more defensive and withdrawn, yet still cynical. This is why I wrote the altercation between Gideon and Judas differently, as I have a feeling it may have played out if both were male.**

 **Also, I was originally planning on waiting until I had a few more chapters ready to post, but since today's my birthday I thought I'd go ahead and post it to see what people think about it. I don't know how often I will be able to update as my Uni workload is only going to get more intense as the weeks go by, but I'll try and make updates semi-regularly. Also, I appologise to all you American readers, I'm an Aussie and we spell some words differently, so I've tried to make an effort to adopt some of your American spellings, for the characters sake, but I refuse to adopt them all! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay, so this ended up being a bit longer than I thought because the more I wrote, the more I felt I had to show how things happened and how they changed. I hope it doesn't feel to disjointed or rushed to the end, I felt that this needed to be just a single chapter, or I'd never get anywhere with this story, so I hope I didn't try too hard to keep the length down. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.**

 *****Chapter edited 14th August 2017*****

* * *

 _Chapter 2: The Academy_

Judas had been right, his parents didn't like it at all that he'd been in a fight with, or attacked by, as they saw it, Gideon. But neither had they locked him away at home, and this allowed him to continue to follow his dream of being a police officer in the big city. After numerous attempts to both discourage, and redirect him, his parents eventually gave up on trying to convince him that it wasn't possible. They still never believed it was going to be happen, but at least they let Judas try. Besides, he'd eventually get turned down by the academy anyway right? There was no way they were going to even accept a rabbit recruit when so many larger and powerful animals were refused, or dropped out during the training. Who knows, he might even lose interest, they hoped.

However, Judas worked hard in school, always achieving high scores in maths, English, and particularly sport. And when he undertook a legal studies subject in high school, he surprised everyone when he scored the highest in the class, which is saying something for a school in a town with as large a population as Bunnyburrow. But then, as if to further buck expectations, he held of applying to the Zootopia Police Academy. Instead, Judas undertook a Bachelor degree in Criminal Justice at the Tri-Burrows University, which was only a 45 minute train ride from home. His reasoning, as he explained to his bewildered parents when he announced the decision, was that they were at least partially right. It was going to be very difficult for a rabbit to become a police officer, and he needed as much of an edge as he could possibly get. After achieving excellent scores in all of his exams, he then decided to undertake an Honours year as well, again, with the intent of giving himself the best possible chance of being accepted.

Throughout all this time he kept himself in good physical condition, running most mornings, as well as regularly visiting the gym and swimming pool on campus. When he finally was accepted to the Zootopian Police Academy, almost 15 years after that fateful Carrot Days Festival, Judas figured he was ready for whatever they would throw at him. He never believed it would be easy, but he was confident he wouldn't have too much trouble passing the training. He was sorely mistaken…

* * *

"Listen up Cadets! Zootopia has twelve unique ecosystems within its city limits," bellowed the female polar bear instructor at Zootopia's police academy. It was their first day, and all the new recruits were sitting or squatting on the muddy grass for their 'welcome' speech. "Tundra Town. Sahara Square. Rainforest District, to name a few! You're gonna have to master all of them before you hit the streets," the instructor halted her marching to and fro right in front of Judas, and looked him directly in the eyes, "Or guess what? You'll. Be. Dead!" she yelled the last few words right in his face, causing Judas to take an instinctive half step backwards. A toothy grin crept over the big predator's muzzle, before she turned back to address the group, and Judas breathed a silent sigh of relief. "You can address me as sir, or Ursula, nothing else! Male dorms are that way," she pointed to a squat, dingy concrete building off to her right, "and female dorms are over there," pointing in the other direction at an identical looking building. "There shall be no funny business, and anybody caught in the other sex's dorm will be immediately dropped from training! The mess hall is over there in the centre, and theory class rooms are attached. This is the parade ground. You must all be here every morning by six am sharp in full, SPOTLESS, uniform for morning parade. Behind the class rooms is the fitness track and climate controlled terrain courses. There is also a gym complete with swimming pool, weights room and boxing ring. You'd better all familiarise yourselves with everything, because we will be using it ALL! Now grab your gear, put them in your dorms and meet on the fitness track in ten minutes." Ursula paused and looked around when nobody moved.

"I GAVE YOU AN ORDER CADETS! MOVE!" she roared. The cadets scrambled to obey her, a wolf and tiger colliding in the process, and both falling to the ground again. Ursula scowled at them as they quickly regained their feet and bolted off. "Man, I _love_ this job!" she chuckled quietly to herself. And with that, her three month intensive job of turning raw _meat_ , into respectable police officers began.

* * *

Judas' confidence in his own abilities was very nearly completely destroyed in the first week alone. While grabbing his small duffel bag of belongings on the first day, and rushing to his dorm, he tried making friends with some of the other recruits, "Hey! I'm Judas! I'm so looking forward to this training! It's gonna be awesome! What's your na-"

"Shut up and go home you stupid rabbit!" snapped the grizzly bear Judas had been talking to, "Save yourself the embarrassment, and us the trouble of having to look after you!"

"Hey, I can look after myself thank you very much! And I'll thank you not to talk to me like that!" Judas fumed.

"Hmmpf" snorted the grizzly, before throwing his bag on one of the beds before jogging of to get to the fitness track in time. Judas stood still for a moment, his foot starting to beat a steady "thump-thump-thump" on the floor before he realised he was the only one left and he bolted off towards the fitness track, overtaking the grizzly on the way. No way was he going to be late for the start his of training!

Unfortunately, Judas quickly found out that most of the other cadets were of a similar opinion to the obnoxious grizzly. A small rabbit couldn't _possibly_ be capable of looking after himself in training, let alone on the streets. Even more humiliating was the common belief most held, that the only reason that he had been accepted in the first place was due to the Mayor's new Mammal Inclusion Policy, which aimed to make it easier for mammals to enter into professions in which their species was under-represented. Some of the cadets were at least polite, but many of them were outright rude to him, and a couple of them, the grizzly bear from earlier, David was his name, actually went out of their way to make things more difficult for the poor rabbit.

It wasn't just the other cadets though, Ursula seemed to take some perverse pleasure of pointing out every small failure he made, especially on the terrain courses, yelling out insulting nicknames every time he 'died' on a course. "You're dead fluff butt! You're dead carrot sticks! Dead again farm boy! Dead dirt brain!" In fact, it soon spread from the terrain courses to every area of training. This hurt Judas more than the opinions of his fellow cadets. He'd thought that at least instructors who had completed the training and worked as police officers themselves would be more supportive towards him, or at least behave profesionally.

But perhaps the worst thing for Judas in that first week was finding out how _unprepared_ he really was for the physical aspect of the training. Despite having kept in good physical shape for years, and regularly training, he found himself lagging behind everyone in every challenge. The physical training was insane, the instructors dictatorial and the terrain courses hell, the desert one almost literally so. The first time he stepped onto the sand, he had jumped back off with a pained yelp for his burnt feet.

"You're dead big foot!" called Ursula to a chorus of course laughs from the rest of the cadets, although some of them quickly shut up when they too stepped onto the near-molten sand. Judas grit his teeth and determinedly stepped back onto the sand, biting back another exclamation of pain, already sweating from the burning heat lamps above. And then the industrial fans were switched on. Judas couldn't have imagined anything as horrible as that experience. He had 'died' at least another eight times before he lost count. By the time he finally crawled across the finish line, it was dark, and all the other cadets had been forced to wait for him before they could go clean up and have dinner. That obviously didn't improve his standing with any of them.

Judas failed every single terrain course that they attempted that first week, sometimes ending up in frigid ice water, other times falling several meters into thick, black mud that was nearly impossible to get out of his fur in the showers and left him smelling like rotting plants for several days afterwards. Then there was the boxing ring. Somehow he was always paired against one of the largest cadets, and the fight was invariably over almost before it began, and he quickly collected many bruises and scrapes. He had taken some self-defence courses over the years, determined not to ever be as helpless as he had felt against the bully Gideon. The problem was that most of that was designed to avoid conflict with larger animals, and was not much help to him now. And every time he failed something, he would hear Ursula, or one of the cadets mock him again and again.

 _"Dead!"_

He could try and excuse all of this by saying that he was so much smaller and weaker than they were, but he knew that wouldn't help him graduate, so he pushed himself harder. But this just had the effect of making him burn out quicker.

What the discouraged rabbit never noticed, was the look of impressed surprise on Ursula's face every time he got back up and tried again, despite having failed it innumerable times before. Most cadets that had failed even half as many times as he had usually dropped out already. Still, they were only a week in, anything could happen yet.

* * *

"All right, we'll call that a day," announced Ursula to the cadets as Judas stumbled across the finish line, thankfully not last, a hippo named Jenny crossed just behind him. It was the Sunday at the end of their first week at the academy. They had already spent the morning with a grueling fitness session, followed by a couple of hours in the boxing ring, with Ursula calling them all out on every little mistake that they made, but seemingly taking extra pleasure in slamming Judas every time he 'died'. Following a quick lunch they had commenced the cross country run that they had just finished, dressed in full duty gear with mock weapons. Judas' kit had of course been far too large for him, the smallest set designed for mammals twice his size, but he had dredged up his last reserves of energy to keep going.

Judas was too exhausted to be particularly grateful for the early finish, but he stumbled back towards the dorm along with the other recruits. At least they were all similarly fatigued, and didn't pay Judas any attention, which he was perfectly fine with to be honest. He went straight for a hot shower, during which Judas was able to get familiar with his new collection of bruises and scrapes, though it was getting hard for him to tell the new from the old, they were all starting to form a large patchwork art on his body. He looked down at his chest and ran his paw over the three long ragged scars that were, to him, a reminder that he never knew when to quit. Although, he was starting to wonder how long his resolve would hold out under this constant torture.

After drying himself off, he went to his bed and grabbed his phone before heading off to find a secluded spot under a tree at the edge of the parade ground. He had promised to call his parents whenever he could to let them know how he was going, and as much as he didn't really feel like it, he knew that if he didn't call them at least once a week, they'd probably drive up to the academy and demand to see if he was alright, and he did _not_ need that on his plate as well!

"Hey Mom! Dad!" he greeted with false enthusiasm when they picked up the call, seeing both of their faces crowding the video screen.

"Hey Jude! How's the academy? Are you making lots of friends?"

"Are you getting enough sleep? You look tired!" Bonnie interrupted,

"What's the food like? Are they treating you well there? Are-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down guys! I can't even understand you you're talking so fast!" Judas cut in. The beginnings of a true smile softened his face as his parents anxiously pestered him. It was good to know that at least _someone_ cared.

"Sorry Jude-y," Stu laughed, "I guess we're just worried about our big boy being off on his own, and, well, oh cripes!" Stu turned away poorly concealing his sniffling. Bonnie only rolled her eyes, as if to say, _'there he goes again'_. Judas just laughed, and not a fake one either. It felt good just to have something pleasant to distract him from the academy. All of a sudden, another face joined his parents on the phone screen. Judas blinked with surprise, it was his older sister, Irene, from the litter before him.

"Hi Jude! It's good to see you again! How're things going out in the real world?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, um, things are going great!" he lied, "I mean its hard work, but I'm doing fine. It's mainly theory anyway, and I'm good with all of that." Both of his parents looked relieved, but it didn't seem that Irene was. She opened her mouth with a concerned look in her eyes, before snapping her mouth shut. The rest of the phone conversation carried on without further surprises, before Judas pleaded weariness, and they ended the call with his promise to call again the following Sunday in his afternoon off. He had barely hung up the call before it started ringing again, this time with Irene's picture coming up on the screen. He sighed, and then accepted the call, another fake smile plastered on his muzzle.

"Hey sis! What's up? Missing me already?"

"Cut the crap Jude, I know something's up, and by God you _will_ tell me what it is!

"Everything is _fine_ sis, really! I'm just tired, there's a lot of training involved!"

"Really? 'Cause you just told Mom and Dad that it's all mainly theory at the moment." Judas's jaw dropped for a moment, caught in the lie. His ears began to droop, and his shoulders sagged.

"Ok, you want to know what's going on so bad? Fine! Everything is shit! Okay? Everybody hates me, I can't pass a single of the terrain training courses, and I get the fluff beaten out of me every time I go head to head with another mammal in the boxing ring. To top it off, nobody thinks I deserve to be here, that I was only accepted because of the Mayor's new policy. I keep wondering if I really am crazy to think that I could ever possibly become a cop!" Judas choked. Irene stared agape, she had never seen her brother so down on himself, or ever heard him doubt his dream. He must really be struggling if he was feeling this bad.

"But this has always been your dream, you can't give up on it yet!"

"I know that, it's just that I'm so much smaller and weaker than all of the mammals, I can't compete with them on their terms!"

"Well don't try to then." Irene said simply. Judas just stared at her, confusion written all over his face. "What I mean is, they all have the natural advantage of size and strength, and that does give them an edge in most physical aspects of their training, and if you try and compete on their terms, you'll never beat them."

"Gee, thanks! That really makes me feel a whole lot better," Judas rolled his eyes.

"No, just listen for a minute! You might not be big or strong compared to them, but you have other advantages that they don't. You are small, fast and agile. You can avoid obstacles easier than they can, and dodge around things quicker too. So when you fight the bigger mammals, don't go against them head to head."

"Um, ok. That does actually make sense. Any other suggestions?" Judas asked eagerly now, interested in what she had to say.

"Well, what about those terrain courses? You mentioned to Mom and Dad that they were obstacle courses made to simulate different environments? Well, again, you aren't going to be naturally suited to many of them, so you need to find ways to make advantage of what you do have. Can you describe them to me?" And so Judas and Irene spent the next 45 minutes discussing different strategies that Judas could potentially use to give him a better chance at completing the training courses that he had been finding impossible. By the time he hung up, again with a promise to call back next Sunday, he felt the most hopeful he had all week, although he was still cautious about how it could all turn out. He knew it would still take a lot of hard work to get himself to a place where he could pass the courses, but by _damn_ he was going to try! It was with a spring in his step that he went off to go have some dinner before turning in early to give himself the best chance of starting the next week better.

* * *

It was Monday morning, and they were back at the dreaded Sahara training course. Judas grit his teeth, he was not going to die this time. No way! As soon as Ursula blew her whistle and the fans started shooting sand at all the recruits, all of the mammals shot off from the start line, all trying to get off the tortuous sand as quickly as possible. That is, all but one. Judas stepped onto the sand and stood there for a moment waiting for his feet to adjust to the scorching temperature. Once the pain reduced somewhat, he got down on all fours, digging both his front paws and his long hind paws into the sand to provide more leverage. Surprisingly, the sand got cooler beneath the surface quite quickly.

 _'This might not stop bad after all,'_ he smiled to himself. He took his right forepaw out and reached out ahead before digging it in again, then he brought up his left hindpaw, followed by his left forepaw and then right hindpaw. Each time he moved one limb up he would dig it in again to provide as much leverage as possible, finding that he got much more purchase from his two long feet than his forepaws. It was slow going and awkward, but he was moving forward. He started to sweat profusely from the overhead heat lamps, but he kept going. Ursula was not going get the satisfaction of pronouncing him dead this time.

Time began to blur into a painful semi-existence, filled with only the blazing heat of the lamps, the coarse sand blinding him, and scraping his paws, not to mention the burning in his limbs as he moved slowly but inexorably onward. He tried to block out the pain, but the nightmare just kept going. He had lost all track of time, and was just wondering if he had been going around in circles when he suddenly fell… And landed on cool, soft grass. He blinked and looked around in confusion, his tunnel vision slowly resolving to reveal the rest of the world once more. All the other cadets stared down at him with a quizzical look in their eyes. He sluggishly got to his feet and looked Ursula directly in the eyes, as if challenging her.

"Hmmph. Maybe you're not dead this time bunny boy, but you were _dead_ last!" She snorted. Judas rolled his eyes, and so missed the slight look of satisfaction on the polar bear's face. "Now, all of you! 10 laps of the fitness track, and then 50 push-ups. The last one finished has to clean the staff toilet block!" And with that all the cadets bolted for the track.

* * *

Thursday afternoon was spent in the boxing ring. Judas had spent all other sessions this week observing how each of the different mammals handled themselves l, taking mental notes on which legs they favoured, and their preferred fighting styles while trying to dodge the crippling blows coming his way. He received a few less bruises this way, but still lost every round. However, today he was going to try something a bit different. He had been paired with David the grizzly bear. Judas had been taking special notice of how he fought. He seemed to have a very slight stiffness in his right leg, and never fully straightened his knee, no one else had seemed to notice because they were too focused on simply trading blows.

The opponents faced off across the ring, David sneering down at the rabbit. "Ready for another beating rabbit? If you had any sense would've quit long ago, but I guess you're just too stupid to know any better!" he laughed.

Judas didn't respond in any way, but started circling to the bear's right, subtly forcing him to keep his bad leg out in front. The grizzly either didn't notice the tactic, or didn't care. Instead he rushed forward to deliver a backhand strike at his opponent, just as Judas had known he would. Dodging off to his left under the incoming blow, he let the bear's momentum carry him past his target. As he stumbled past, loosing his balance slightly when he didn't meet the expected resistance, Judas drove a powerful backwards elbow strike into the side of the predator's right knee, causing him to grunt with surprise and pain. They both turned and faced one another, now on opposite sides of the ring to where they had started.

The onlookers had gone silent when they saw Judas's unexpected tactic succeed, and an eerie silence filled the usually noisy hall. Again Judas circled to David's right, the bear now visibly limping as he tried to face the rabbit, his previous sneer having become an angry snarl. This time he advanced with more caution, but still quickly, aiming an overhead strike down at the rabbit, one that he could easily change direction with if the rabbit dodged to the side as he now expected. But again Judas surprised him. He dove straight for the gap between the bear's legs, kicking out with his powerful hind legs to deliver a devastating blow to the bear's right knee as he sailed by. This time David went down with a roar of pain. Apart from the groaning coming from the centre of the ring there was absolute silence in the room. Everyone was stunned. None of them had ever expected the bunny to have even the remotest chance of surviving for more than a few minutes, let alone dropping one of the largest mammals in the room. Judas turned to look at Ursula with a smug look on his face, expecting her to be the most surprised, but was confused when all he saw was a satisfied smile on her snout. He opened his mouth to make some smart quip about not being dead this time, when he saw worry suddenly cloud the instructor's face. And then everything went black.

* * *

When Judas finally came to, all he could feel was a pounding in the back of his head. He tried to sit up, but quickly gave up when a wave of nausea wracked his body, and instead settled for glancing around from his position on the bed. He was obviously in the infirmary. He recognised it immediately after having already visited it far more often than any other of the cadets.

"Ah, you're awake," came a friendly voice from over to Judas' right. He turned around to see Jasmine, the leopard nurse he had seen all too often. "That's good to see, but just take it easy. That was quite a blow you took to your head. Frankly I'm surprised you didn't sleep through the night."

"I'm a fast healer I guess," he joked weakly, "but what happened?"

"Apparently Mr Browning hit you while you were distracted," Jasmine answered plainly, "although I would've thought that you were too smart to get distracted when in the sparring ring," she clicked her tongue reproachfully.

"Yeah, that's a mistake I'll never make again," Judas groaned.

"Make sure that you don't, I don't like our chats that much that I want you as a permanent resident in here!" she teased lightly. "Anyway, do you feel that you could sit up now? I want to do a few checks to see how bad the damage is." And with that Judas was subjected to another extensive check-up, from which he was thankfully cleared. As he got up to leave however, he saw that another bed was occupied on the other side of the infirmary. On closer inspection, Judas saw that its occupant was none other than David.

"David? What are you doing in here?" Judas exclaimed. The bear turned over and looked Judas in the eye with an odd expression on his face.

" _You_ put me in here rabbit. That kick of yours dislocated my knee, and now I'm stuck in here for the rest of the day, and maybe tomorrow as well," he glared briefly at the nurse before turning back to Judas and actually smiling, "I never would've thought you had it in you though. I guess I've learnt to never underestimate my opponents again, especially you Judas." The smaller mammal stared in shock. Not only was David not angry at him, he was actually being nice! Well as nice as a huge grizzly bear on a hospital bed could possibly be at least.

"I-I'm sorry about the knee, David, I didn't mean to cause any real damage. I was just trying to show everyone that I'm not just some token rabbit."

"Ha ha! You shouldn't be the one apologising," David chuckled happily. "I'm the one who knocked you out while your back was turned! It's a _boxing_ ring for goodness sake! People get hurt! I expect crooks out on the street to do everything they possibly can to get away, and if all it cost was a dislocated knee for me to learn that I'm not gonna win every fight I get in, and to learn some caution, then I think it's a small price to pay. So, actually thank you." The bear fixed Judas with a genuine smile. "Perhaps you really do deserve to be here, Hopps, so don't give up! I don't want to be remembered as the grizzly bear that got beaten up by an academy drop out!" he joked.

"Wow! Thanks David!" Judas beamed, still a little surprised by the sudden shift in David's attitude, but glad for it all the same. "I think I've learnt a lesson or two myself, most importantly not to turn your back on an opponent who isn't quite down and out yet!" he laughed in response.

"I'm sorry guys, but you'll have to leave now Judas, Mr Browning here needs some rest to recover properly," cut in the nurse.

"Okay then, I'll see you later David?"

"Sure thing carrot boy," he grinned, "but you'd better watch out, because I'm not going to let you beat me like that in the ring again. You'd best come up with some new tricks!"

"I'll keep that in mind!" Judas laughed as he left the infirmary with a spring in his step. Things might finally be looking up, he hoped brightly.

* * *

Things did indeed start to get better for the small recruit. By the end of the first month Judas was managing to complete almost all of the physical challenges most of the time. He was learning to make better use of his own natural abilities and talents to adapt to each of the various environmental courses. In fact, it was now becoming a rare occurrence when he 'died'. After his bout with David in the ring, none of the other mammals dared to underestimate him again, especially after he managed to knock out one of the wolf cadets in under three minutes. The other trainees slowly began to accept Judas' presence, and then started to respect the tenacious bunny as he continued to break past all of their expectations. In particular, Judas found himself forming an unorthodox friendship with the towering David. As rude and overbearing as he had been at first, the grizzly bear was now an even stauncher supporter and loyal friend. He seemed to take it as his own personal mission to ensure that the other recruits welcomed Judas as he had come to.

It still wasn't easy for the rabbit, and he had to put in many more hours of extra training than the rest of his class, and so he spent most of his free time working out, or studying for the theoretical side of training which had begun in the second month. This was an area where Judas truly excelled from the beginning, seeing as he had covered a lot of similar material while studying at University, and his scores on all of those tests outshone all of the other cadets. Target practice was one area where Judas hadn't had much practice before, but like everything else, he trained hard and soon became a crack shot, however, he was never able to match David's unerring accuracy.

So the days went on, one week blurring into the next, and slowly Judas found himself improving beyond even his wildest dreams. The final exams came along, and not only did Judas pass every single one with exceptional scores, he set new all-time speed records on both the Sahara Square and Tundra Town obstacle courses! His final assessment was one more boxing match, but he wasn't too worried anymore. In fact the seven hundred kilogram male Rhino he faced looked more concerned than Judas. Of course, by now that was to be expected, seeing as the rabbit had been unbeaten in the ring for the last three weeks, and there was no way Judas was about to let his streak lapse in his last fight. He won this one with another new tactic that he had developed. Dodging away from the first two punches, he jumped into the side ropes of the ring, and using them to increase the power from his own two hind legs, he rebounded to his opponent and kicked his own fist into his jaw, knocking him unconscious immediately. Another record take down for the rabbit.

* * *

The graduation ceremony was something of a blur for Judas. As Mayor Lionheart gave his opening address to the audience of family and friends, Judas stood in his full dress uniform next to his fellow graduates. Frankly he was amazed that the training was already over, and that he had survived it as well. Despite his initial enthusiasm, he had come very close to quitting on more than one occasion, and it was only his sister's advice, and some sheer stubbornness that had kept him in the program. Suddenly, Judas snapped back to reality, it was almost his time to go on stage.

"… ZPD's first rabbit officer, Judas Hops!" announced the mayor to a loud applause and cheering, mainly from Judas' own family. He took a deep breath, and marched up onto the stage. He was finally here! All his years of hard work and sacrifice had paid off, he was going to be a _real_ police officer!

"Ahem, assistant mayor Bellweather? His badge," prompted the well-dressed lion with barely concealed impatience.

"Oh yes!" the ewe standing beside the podium scrambled to find the most important part of an officer's uniform and pinned it to Judas chest, as he stood tall with pride.

"Judas, it is my great privilege to officially assign you to Precint One. The heart of Zootopia!" Lionheart announced. Judas could barely contain his excitement. This was beyond his wildest dreams! At best he thought that he may have been assigned to one of the outer districts for a few years before he could move further into the city, but this was incredible!

"Congratulations Officer Hops!" the assistant mayor smiled sweetly at Judas while the crowd again broke into applause and cheering, although Judas did notice his parents being a little less than enthusiastic about it.

"I won't let you down!" he replied seriously, before a huge grin broke across his muzzle, "I've waited so long for this!"

"Well it's a, real big day for us little guys, you know," Bellweather said with a proud smile on her face.

"Move aside Bellweather," the mayor muttered, "I need to get some pictures with our newest officer." And with that, the rest of the day was a blur of congratulations, applause and polite conversation with mammals Judas had never met, and plenty of pictures with most of them too. However, no mammal seemed to be quite as proud of Judas as his instructor, the polar bear, Ursula. Judas had been surprised when she came up to his during the celebration with a huge smile on her muzzle, congratulating him on being one of her best students.

"But I thought you hated me?" he asked in confusion.

"Hated you? No of course not!" she chuckled, "I just knew that you needed some extra incentive to never give up and try your absolute best. That was the only way you were ever likely to succeed. And here you are!"

"So all that, 'You're Dead!' business was just to spur me on?" Judas asked with incredulity.

"Mostly, although I'd be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed it too!" she laughed, before walking off to leave Judas to his classmates who had come over to celebrate with him. He had been a little bit disappointed when he'd heard that David was going to be assigned to a small city, Greenswood, 30 miles away from Zootopia, but was happy for him because it was close to his hometown and it was where he wanted to be for the time being.

"Who knows, I might move to the big city someday, and then you'll have to watch out for your boxing win streak, because I'm gonna keep on practicing!" he had laughed when Judas had mentioned his disappointment. They had just laughed together for a while, before moving on to talk to other friends and family.

Finally everything was finished and he went home with his parents to Bunnyburrow. He had a few of days off before he had to report in to ZPD headquarters for the first day of his new life on Monday. It was going to be AWESOME!

* * *

 **AN:**

 **I hope you enjoyed this, I felt that it would be good to look at the reasons why Judas went from failing everything so bad at the beginning of training, to eventually becoming the valedictorian of his class. In the movie we only see that Judy trains extra hard, and that she starts to use different tactics, and her own abilities to their full advantage, but it doesn't show why she suddenly changes her methods. It could've just been a epiphany, but I rather liked the idea of Judas feeling like he was going to fail, only to have someone else believe in him and help him to see things in a different way. So because of this, it blossomed out into a longer chapter than I had originally planned.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

 **Well here we go, chapter three! I'm just glad I managed to get it out within the first week! I hope you enjoy! :)**

 *****Chapter edited 17th August 2017*****

* * *

 _Chapter 3: New Beginnings_

"We're real proud of you Jude," Bonnie smiled. It was Sunday morning and the entire Hopps clan had crowded onto the platform at the Bunnyburrow train station to see Judas off to begin his new life as a cop in the big city.

"And scared too," Stu chuckled nervously. Bonnie nodded her head in agreement. "It's more of a proud-scared combo, I guess," he continued, eyes darting everywhere but his son's face. "I mean, Zootopia! It's so far away, such a big city-"

"Guys," Judas sighed in exasperation, although he had expected his parents' unenthusiastic reaction. "You know how long I've been working for this! I'm ready for it."

"We know," Bonnie sighed, visibly trying to keep her ears perked for both her son and husband's sake. "It's just that, although we're excited for you, we're also a little terrified."

"'The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself'," Judas quoted confidently, trying to pacify his parents. They always did have a tendency to worry too much, especially where he was concerned.

"And bears! We have bears to fear too," Stu interrupted, completely missing the historical context in which that statement had been made, namely the crippling nature of unnecessary and unfounded fear. Judas and his mother rolled their eyes as Stuart continued, "to say nothing of lions. And wolves! And weasels and-"

"Weasels? Honey, you play poker with a weasel," Bonnie interjected, beginning to tire of her husband's rant.

"Yeah, and he cheats like a - well, he cheats!" he said by way of explanation to his wife. "Pretty much all predators are dangerous really, and Zootopia's full of them!"

"Now Stuart!" Bonnie chided. "That is going too far!" She glared at her husband, but he either ignored her, or didn't notice, and barreled straight on. Judas simply waited calmly for the tirade to wear out.

"Especially foxes! Foxes are the worst!" Judas flinched with his father's final assertion, but it didn't seem like either parent noticed.

"Well he's actually got a point with that one son," Bonnie reasoned quietly, turning back to face him. "Just remember what happened with Gideon Grey! You've got those horrible scars on your chest to remind you of that!"

Despite his best efforts to hide his scars from his parents, his mother had noticed them several months after the incident at the festival when spring had come around again and he had been swimming in the local river with some of his siblings and had forgotten to cover up. The fallout over that little omission from his report of the fight had been quite a spectacle. Only his exaggeration that it was him who had started the fight was enough to stop his parents from marching down to the sheriff's office to press charges for assault. Instead, he had been met with some very severe punishments, which included being grounded for the next six months, and being given twice usual allocation of household chores. His parents had also secretly hoped that all of this additional pressure would be enough to dissuade him from his delusions of becoming a police officer. Obviously that hadn't worked either.

"Mom, Gideon Grey was a bully who just happened to be a fox. I've met plenty of other bullies since then, and quite a few of them were rabbits! Besides, we were like, nine at the time! He's probably a nice enough guy now. Besides, I'm a lot more capable of looking after myself now, just ask David, or any of my other classmates from the academy!"

"Yeah, sure, but just in case, we prepared a little 'care package' for you," Stu answered, not sounding entirely convinced as he reached down to pick up the cloth bag by his feet and started rummaging through it.

"I've put some snacks in there for you dear," Bonnie smiled. She always seemed to be able to switch her emotions from one to the next faster than a rabbit could hop.

"This is fox deterrent," he held up a pink can with a large funnel-shaped speaker attached to it, obviously some sort of noise maker, it had a motif of a fox head with a cross though it on the side.

"Yeah that's safe to have," said Bonnie as Judas rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"And this is fox repellent," Stu lifted a smaller spray can out proudly.

"Okay, the deterrent and the repellent, that's all he needs," Bonnie tried unsuccessfully to reign in her husband's enthusiasm.

"And check this baby out!" He thrust out a flat bulky box with a crescent-shaped cavity on one end, and the same pink anti-fox logo printed on the top. What it was became painfully obvious when Judas' overenthusiastic father pressed the button on the side and bright blue lightning suddenly arced across the cavity with a load crackling noise. Judas instinctively took a step back with surprise and shock.

"Goodness me Stu! There is absolutely no need for a fox Taser!" Bonnie practically yelled at him.

"Oh, come on, when is there ever _not_ a need for a fox Taser?"

"I've never seen you need one before dad," Judas commented dryly, fixing his father with a dirty glare. Stuart just shrugged it off and held out the bag of 'goodies' to his son. Judas sighed and reached into the bag, "I'll take the repellent, just to make you happy."

"Great! Everybody wins!" Stu smiled, secretly happy that he wouldn't need to give up his newest toy after all.

A disinterested and distorted voice began speaking over the station's single megaphone announcing the arrival of the train to Zootopia. Slowly, with a great deal of screeching, the tall, red carriages pulled up to the platform, and mammals of all sizes began to disembark from various, appropriately sized, doors.

"Okay, gotta go," Judas grabbed his small suitcase and bounced off towards the train with a quick wave to his startled parents. But as he stepped on, he felt a sudden surge of guilt. His parents were only trying to look after him after all, and he wouldn't be seeing them for quite some time. He carefully set his bag down on the floor, and quickly bounded back to his parents, surprising them both with an enthusiastic hug. "Mmmm," he sighed briefly, "You know that I love you both right? Thanks for supporting me, I know it's been hard for you."

"We love you too Jude," Bonnie sniffed as Judas broke away and raced back towards the open train door. Stu looked like he was about to start bawling his eyes out and couldn't say anything. As soon as he got on the train, the doors began to shut behind Judas and he turned to wave to his family through the window. Numerous calls of 'I love you Judas!', 'Good luck!' and 'Don't forget to call!' followed him as the train began to pull away.

"Goodbye everyone, stay safe," Judas whispered to himself. He stood by the window until the train passed the famous Bunnyburrow population sign, always ticking up, and currently reading somewhere around the 81 million mark. He smirked briefly to himself. The bunny-shaped billboard was more of a gimmick designed to fool the more gullible mammals. In reality, it counted the number of rabbit births for a wide swathe of the state's rural towns ever since their founding, and never took into account the inevitable death rate. Not everyone had families as insanely large as the Hopps Horde.

Judas turned around, and grabbing his bag from the floor, he headed up to the observation window on the train carriage roof. It had been made to accommodate giraffe commuters and doubled as an exceptional viewing platform. Judas had read of it online during one of his many 'research' sessions about the place he had spent so many years imagining, and he stared out at the passing countryside wishing the journey to be over already.

"And now I'm _finally_ actually going there!" he squealed under his breath. He put his bag down on one of the seats and took out his iPawd shuffle, plugged his headphones in and pressed play on his favourite playlist, a mix of upbeat songs that always gave him a sense of hope and anticipation for his future. Today, he didn't really need the hope, he couldn't possibly get any more hopeful, but he still enjoyed the music. Especially the stuff on there by Gazelle. He wouldn't ever admit as much to most people, but he was a _huge_ fan of her music.

 _'And her…'_

He blushed slightly at the thought. No, he was never going to admit that little fact to anyone. The fact that he had a little bit of a crush on the pop singer. _That_ would be something he took to his grave.

He looked around expectantly at the country side, but of course there was nothing to see yet. It was nearly a three hour train ride into the city, and at the moment there was nothing to see except for countless fields of crops as far as the eye could see. He sat down, feeling a little chagrined. He had a fair bit of time to fill, so he let his mind start to wander.

It had been a long and winding road to get to where he was now, about to embark on the most important phase of his life. It had all started a few months before that fateful Carrot Days festival 15 years ago when they'd had a couple of police officers from the town's own force come and do a talk at his school on all the typical stuff. You know, listening to their parents, not stealing, being nice to others and how they helped mammals on a day to day basis. Judas had been excited by the fancy uniforms, the car, and the badge, but he had really been captivated by seeing how much the officers seemed to enjoy their job helping to make the world a better place. He'd gone home with an extra spring in his step, but he'd kept his newfound passion to himself, which was quite easy to do with his parents occupied by running a busy household. Besides, he'd already been picked for the lead role in the upcoming production, and he wanted to surprise everyone.

 _'And boy did I surprise them alright!'_ he chuckled to himself. After that day it had taken him years to properly convince his that he was serious, and then several more years before they gave up trying to dissuade him from his chosen course. Then had come the years of hard study and physical training to try and prepare himself for the academy. ' _With only partial success'_ he reminded himself with a wry grin. He'd been so cock-sure of himself, and then had quite literally the confidence knocked right out of him. But he'd persevered and with some sound advice, a few adjustments, and a lot of training and practice he had learned to not only cope, but to thrive in the academy, placing as valedictorian of his class. Then there'd been the graduation ceremony where the mayor of Zootopia himself had spoken and assigned him to Precinct One, beyond his wildest dreams.

Then it had been a hectic, not to mention emotionally charged few days since the ceremony. First he'd had to try and find a suitable apartment online in Savanna Central. ' _And what a nightmare that was!'_ It had to be near enough to ZPD headquarters that he could get to and from work in a reasonable time, yet cheap enough that he'd be able to afford it on his low entry wage. Once he'd been there a few months, or maybe a year, maybe he could start looking for something better.

The long process of packing had come next. It really shouldn't have been as hard as it was, he was only taking a small number of things for his small apartment, but his parents (and several dozen of his siblings!) kept putting things out for him to take with him. Extra clothes, keepsakes, extra snacks, presents and so much more. It would've taken a small shipping container to fit everything in it. Eventually he'd had to resort to kicking everyone out of his room and quickly packing the few things he wanted into his small suitcase. Essentially just his one duty uniform, his dress uniform, some spare clothes, laptop, and a few other essentials.

* * *

Time seemed to pass both excruciatingly slow, as well as extremely fast at the same time for the excited rabbit. He couldn't help but look out of the window every few minutes to see if they were making any progress at all towards the city, but very little ever seemed to change. He tried to pass the time by watching all of the other passengers, trying to put his surveillance skills to the test by inventing feasible stories for why they were on the train today. He stopped that fairly quickly when he received an angry glare from a beaver couple, realising too late that he was giving off some pretty creepy vibes. Next he got out his phone intending to spend time scrolling through his Muzzlebook news feed, but found that he was out of range of good internet. Then he tried to think of all the different cases he was looking forward to working on when he started work tomorrow morning. He wanted an interesting first case, but nothing too hard either. Something like a robbery at a local store. Or maybe a vandalism? There were sure to be plenty of them in a large city like Zootopia. Perhaps he'd be lucky enough to tag along on a drug bust sometime soon. That would be interesting! This train of thought did keep him occupied for quite a while as he began to map out in his mind how he would respond to different situations, and how he would go about tracking down all of the different criminals he was imagining.

Suddenly Judas' imaginary investigation was cut off midway through a very animated car chase with a hyena and lion who were attempting to make a get away from a diamond heist that Judas had interrupted.

"Attention passengers, we will be arriving in Zootopia Central Station in approximately 15 minutes. Please gather your luggage now and enjoy the view," came the disinterested, almost automatic, voice of the train driver through the speakers mounted on the carriage walls. Judas' ears perked up suddenly with excitement, and he turned around in his seat to stare out of the glass bubble around him at the fast approaching city.

Judas had seen the city many times in photographs and on TV, but nothing could prepare him for the magnificent sight that lay before him. The many bright colours of the city skyscrapers stood out in stark contrast from the brilliant blue sky, sparkling and glinting in the morning sun while the train sped north towards the famous city. Even the buildings looked as diverse as the multitude of different mammals living within the city borders.

"Whoa!" He whispered in awe. He pressed his face and paws up against the glass in an effort to see as much of the approaching spectacle as soon as possible. The train was now on a long rail bridge passing over part of the bay that nearly surrounded the huge metropolis, giving Judas the feeling that he was soaring like a bird towards his future. The train finally crossed over the water, and into the first district of Zootopia proper, Sahara Square. Rolling dunes of golden sand marched down to the water's edge where Judas could see mammals of all sizes enjoying a wonderful day at the beach. They all looked to be having so much fun and to all be getting along. But the train whisked him away from the shore and his sudden longing for a day spent laying in the warm sand at the beach, and showed him instead more incredible sights, each one sparking some new level of excitement and wonder. A heard of camels, out for a morning run in the sweltering heat. Canyons of incredible rock formations. An oasis in the middle of the desert surrounded by more colour and activity than he had imagined possible in such a climate. An enormous casino and hotel, shaped like an enormous palm tree soaring into the blue sky. He had read somewhere that this was _the_ place to go for a night out in the city, and even that Gazelle lived in the penthouse suite whenever she was in town. Thinking of that particular artist, he realised for the first time that his favourite song was playing through his headphones. 'Try Everything', had to be one of her biggest hits, and the perfect tune to accompany him into the start of his new life

Judas didn't have long to think about his favourite celebrity or her music, as he looked up again to see a great glowing wall approaching. He was puzzled for a moment until it clicked that this was the famous 'Heat Wall' of Zootopia, and part of the reason for its success. This masterpiece of engineering was an enormous heat engine, cooling one side drastically, while dumping all the excess heat onto the other side. The construction was powered by its own subterranean nuclear power station, from which the excess heat was also pumped to the Sahara side of the wall. The side that the train was rapidly approaching. Judas could see the very air about the wall wavering and shimmering with the tremendous amounts of thermal energy being released. Small whirlwinds played to and fro through the dunes, kicking dust and sand up into the air.

The literal heat wave only lasted a moment before the train passed through a narrow tunnel in the wall to emerge moments later into a world that was as different from the Sahara as day is from night. Instead of rolling sand dunes and temperatures in excess of forty Centigrade, Judas was met by a winter wonderland, although the whirlwinds existed here as well, this time forming majestic white pillars. Snow and ice surrounded the train on all sides, and on the nearby slopes he could make out ski resorts with mammals enjoying the fresh powder. Suddenly, a series of snow cannons erupted alongside the tracks, covering the train in a thin layer of fine powder and fogging up the still warm windows. Judas quickly wiped away the moisture to avoid missing a single second of his new world. His face ecstatic with joy, he looked down as the train again flew along elevated tracks above the Tundra Town business centre. Buildings dripping with icicles and half buried in snow advertised their wares and services in bright neon lights, standing out from the blue-white background. Mammals went about on their business, some wrapped up in thick coats and scarves, others, while the naturally arctic mammals went about comfortably in shorts and t-shirts. Some walked along the streets, others rode the ice-floe travellators, and still others ice skated to and fro. But again, it vanished all too soon as the train entered a tunnel through a snow covered mountain.

When they emerged into the light again, Judas was astounded by the sheer amount of green that he saw. He'd never even imagined that there could be so many different hues, and he had grown up on a farm! There were trees, ferns, vines, bushes, shrubs and more in uncountable number and variety. All of it interspersed with fruit and flowers of more colour and species than Judas had ever seen in one place. Water began to drum down on the glass bubble protecting the young buck as the automated irrigation system gave the Rainforest District another morning shower. Looking down, Judas saw roads and bridges spanning the gaps between the tree shaped sky scrapers where many of the mammals he could see huddled under umbrellas below lived and worked. He even saw blimps floating around, carrying cargo and passengers between different levels in the bustling treetop district.

But again, the train does not stop for sightseers, and entered a narrow defile between two mountain sides, filled with misty clouds. They burst forth suddenly from the green mountainside, and Judas immediately recognised where he was. The train had entered the commercial and cultural hub of the city, Savanna Central.

 _'My new home!'_

The train began to descend from the sky rail, winding around factories and smaller businesses as it approached Zootopia Central Station, finally coming to rest at one of several platforms. Judas rushed to grab his bag from his seat, and skipped down the stairs to be the first out of the doors when they opened. His suitcase clutched tightly in both paws, he took a deep breath of warm summery air as he took his first step on Zootopian ground. In fact, he was so busy savouring the moment that he was almost stepped on by a hippo who was also trying to disembark the train.

"Oops, sorry!" apologised Judas as he hopped out of the way, the hippo just glanced down at the rabbit he'd almost crushed and just snorted before going off on his own business. Judas shrugged and turned to find the exit to the station. Following some other mammals who had arrived on the same train, he went up an escalator, getting a great view of all the different species running around, trying to catch trains, meet people, or accomplish some errand or another. Upon reaching the top, he stared in awe at the diversity surrounding him.

Hippos dressed in business suits emerged from a flooded terminal to stand on massive blow-driers that blasted the moisture from their suits before they joined the dry-landers for whatever occupations called them from their watery homes. Giraffes strolled about, heads so far up that Judas had trouble seeing their faces, ordering acacia juice, carrying briefcases or just having a good time. Hordes of gerbils and other small rodents followed each other through the crowds in long lines, expertly avoiding being stepped on, or taking specifically designed transport tubes to move longer distances much faster than by walking.

All this and much more Judas took in as he skipped happily through the station entrance and out into the large pedestrian square in front of the station. There were more mammals around him of so many different species that he could have happily sat and watched them all day and still not have been satisfied that he had seen them all. As his sapphire-blue eyes danced around, trying to drink in every sight like a parched polar bear who'd been stranded in Sahara Square all day, they came to rest on a huge electronic billboard showing none other than his favorite pop star.

"Hi, I'm Gazelle! Welcome to Zootopia!" the singer smiled, her voice issuing from massive speakers set into the side of the building with the screen. Judas let himself imagine that she was talking directly to him. In that moment he couldn't possibly feel more content than he did, and he spent the next fifteen minutes greedily soaking in the atmosphere.

But eventually he had to get moving. He had told his new landlady over the phone that he would be at the apartment complex by noon, and it was already half past eleven. He pulled up a map on his phone and typed in the address of the Pangolin Arms complex before briskly walking the short distance. He arrived five minutes before he was due and went up to the front desk to introduce himself to the armadillo running things.

"Hi! I'm Judas, the new tenant starting today. How are you? Thank you so much for-"

"Follow me," she intoned, cutting off Judas' greeting mid-sentence. Surprised, he followed her in silence as she led him into the elevator, pressed the button for the 6th floor, and then exited when it arrived. She took out a key on a tag that simply read '615', and turned the lock on the matching door.

"Welcome the Grand Pangolin Arms, luxury apartments with charm," she recited without interest as she opened the door to reveal a room that was anything but luxury. It contained nothing more than a bed, a desk with a lamp and chair, a microwave, and very little else in the way of furnishing. Not that it would've fit much else anyway. "Complementary de-lousing once a month. _Don't lose your key!_ " she finished, and then turned away before Judas could even say thanks. But he was quickly distracted when he saw two antelopes approaching up the hallway carrying their groceries.

"Oh hey guys! My name's Judas, your new neighbor!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Bucky, Pronk," one grouched, pointing first to his companion, then to himself. "Fair warning, we're loud."

"Don't expect us to apologise for it!" the other snapped, as they entered the room adjacent to Judas' new one. A little miffed at the rudeness he'd just been shown, Judas picked up his bag, and entered his room, closing the door behind him. He glanced around at the stained wallpaper, cheap paintings and empty closet, trying to drown out shouting match he could already hear brewing between his antlered neighbours. It didn't seem like there was a whole lot of noise insulation in the thin walls either.

"Dirty walls. Lumpy bed. _Crazy_ neighbors," he listed off the unexpected aspects of his new life. _'I guess it's not really that different to home life,'_ he grinned wryly, and flopped down joyfully on his new bed. "I think this'll be great!" he exclaimed out loud. "And tomorrow I can finally start making the world a better place!"

* * *

 **AN:**

 **So firstly, if you are wondering when Judas and Nicky will finally meet, I think that will happen in the next chapter, but I'm not entirely sure how long it'll take me to finish it (it should be within the next week, but I will be rather busy).**

 **Secondly, you may have noticed that I mentioned that Judas' eyes are sapphire. As in blue. Sorry, I just couldn't take a male rabbit with purple eyes seriously. Plus, I reasoned that if his genetics are different enough from Judy to make him male, I could also alter that one small detail. But I'm thinking a really dark, rich blue that isn't really too different from Judy's purple ones.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

 **So I've been asked several times when Judas and Nicole will meet, and I pleased to say that this is the chapter when they finally do! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 *****Chapter Edited 28th August 2017*****

* * *

 _Chapter 4: Parking Duty?!_

" _Beep! Bee-"_

A grey paw shot out and silenced the alarm clock reading 5:30 am before it could sound again. The same paw then shot down and tore the bed sheets off the body of the attached rabbit, exposing him to the cool morning air that had penetrated the apartment during the night. Judas shivered slightly as he jumped to his feet. He'd decided long ago that the best way to make sure he was wide awake for the day was to never allow himself to linger in bed once his alarm had sounded. Having grown up on a farm had certainly helped too; one had to get used to waking up early each day.

Dropping to the floor he quickly pumped out a set of fifty push-ups in quick succession, followed by the same number of sit-ups. He repeated the pattern twice more, working up a thin sheen of sweat in his fur. It was a habit he'd picked up at the academy, the exercise also helped him to wake up, as had the added benefit of keeping him rather well toned. Then grabbing his towel and uniform, he left his apartment and went down the hall to the communal bathroom for a quick shower. He intended to create the best first impression when he finally began his new job in just a few short hours.

He let the hot water stream down his face and back, all the effort, stress and pain of so many years hard work seeming to wash down the drain. He allowed himself to simply enjoy the blissful feeling for a few moments, before grabbing the soap quickly washing himself. He certainly wasn't going to be late on his first day! However, as he scrubbed the soap across his chest, he paused. His fingers began to feel along the three long ropey scars that cut through his otherwise smooth fur. He'd had the scars for so long that he'd almost forgotten about them, but today for some reason feeling the scars brought back a slight kernel of fear to the pit of his stomach.

He'd known for years that being a police officer was a dangerous job, especially in such a large city with so many mammals larger, stronger and meaner than him. What if he got seriously injured on the job? What if he got killed? He knew his parents wouldn't cope very well at all with either possibility. In fact, it had been one of their largest concerns with his chosen career choice, and one they'd repeatedly tried to use to convince him to change his mind. He still wasn't about to change his mind, but the thought stuck with him as he finished up in the shower and dried himself with both his towel and the rusty old fur-drier, before donning his uniform for his first day.

He walked briskly back to his apartment, deposited his toiletries and grabbed his keys from their place beside the door, almost knocking over a small bottle in his rush. The movement caught his eye, and he looked more closely. It was the bottle of fox repellent that his father had given him yesterday. The uncomfortable feeling of trepidation in his stomach briefly flared up again and he reached out to grab it, but snatched his paw away as if he'd been burned.

"Don't be silly Jude, you're not gonna need that!" he muttered to himself, as he turned again to leave. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to have it on me," he paused on the other side of the door, still holding it open a crack. "I mean, I don't have to use it, but it's better to be prepared and not need it, than need it and not have it," he continued to quietly mutter. He sighed, then opened the door and grabbed the small canister, slipping it into his utility belt and locking the door all in one swift move.

The train was already crowded by the time Judas stepped into the carriage and he was forced to stand, making his way to a row of low hanging straps to hold himself upright. Fortunately, it was only a short trip to the ZPD headquarters. Still enamoured by the variety in mammals abounding in the city, Judas casually let his eyes wander about the compartment, taking in all the different sizes, shapes and colours surrounding him. _'I wonder what kinds of mammals I'll be working with today?'_ he wondered in excitement. He only stopped his staring when he noticed he was getting some confused glances from several of the passengers. _'Well, I guess even a rabbit cop is a new one for Zootopia,'_ he grinned.

He exited the train and checked his phone for the time. Roll call wasn't until seven thirty, so he still had at least another half hour before he had to be in the building. That gave Judas plenty of time for breakfast. He walked down the street to a bakery café, and ordered himself a salad wrap and a fresh apple and carrot juice, both of which he promptly polished off before heading towards the headquarters, arriving at the front doors ten minutes before he was required to be seated. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself for the plunge into the unknown, he pushed open the doors, and marched through in.

* * *

He entered a large tiled foyer with a bunch of mammals milling around, many of them in uniform. One officer, a tiger, was firmly escorting a muzzled and handcuffed grey wolf through the foyer, rolling his eyes at the canine's loud protests.

"Hey, c'mon! He bared his teeth first!" Judas heard the perpetrator whine as he walked past the pair, heading towards the front reception desk. Behind reception sat perhaps the fattest animal the new officer had ever seen. Currently the flabby cheater was loudly enjoying a bowl of 'Lucky Chomps' cereal, san item his mother had always refused to buy considering that it was more of a dessert than a breakfast food.

"Excuse me!" he called up to the receptionist, causing the cheater to look about in confusion. "Down here!" The overweight mammal finally looked down, practically lying on the desk to do so. "Hi!" Judas waved up at the looming, but surprisingly unintimidating predator, noticing the plaque on the desk that named him as one Officer Clawhauser.

"Oh. My. _Goodness_!" Clawhauser gasped, "They really did hire a rabbit! He he! Wow!" he squealed. "I gotta tell you, you are even _cuter_ than I thought!"

"Oh," Judas cringed. "Um you might not know this, but it's alright if one bunny calls another cute, but it's actually kind of, you know, offensive, when other mammals say it."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Clawhauser gushed, "Imagine me, Benjamin Clawhauser, the guy everyone assumes is just a flabby, doughnut-loving cop, stereotyping you!"

"Don't worry, you didn't know," Judas shrugged it off. "Oh, you've got…" Judas trailed off. There was something stuck to the fur of the receptionist's neck.

"What? Where?" Ben asked, his paws grabbing randomly at his neck, trying to find whatever the young officer was pointing at.

"Right side, no, up a bit, there!" Judas directed the receptionist's paw until he finally found the offending item. He wasn't entirely sure what he had expected the detritus to be, but an entire, albeit squished, chocolate iced doughnut, was not one of them.

"Heh-hay! That's where you went!" the cheetah celebrated before consuming half the pastry in a single bite, groaning with pleasure as he did so. "Mmmm! I was wondering where that one disappeared to," he gave Judas a conspiratorial smile.

"Um, I think I need to be heading off to roll call now," Judas excused himself, struggling not to balk as Ben shoved the remainder into his already occupied maw. "Which way do I need to go?"

"The bullpen is straight down the hall and through the door at the end," he directed around a mouthful of food.

"Thanks! I'll see you later then," Judas called back as he followed the directions, not noticing the stares he attracted from the much larger officers as he skipped past them.

"That poor bunny's going to be eaten alive," Clawhauser sighed to himself when he was sure the rabbit was out of earshot.

* * *

Judas walked through the doors to the aptly named bullpen to find most of the seats taken by large, and rather menacing officers, both predator and prey alike. He walked down the centre isle towards the front, his head swinging back and forth scanning the room for a chair on which to sit, but also taking in the various officers, and what they were doing. Some were arm wrestling aggressively, others simply reading the morning paper, and some were discussing the details of various cases. Judas finally noticed an empty seat, right next to a massive rhino in the front row.

"Is this seat taken?" he called up to the towering officer. He grunted and shook his head. Judas looked at the huge chair, the seat was higher than he was tall. He crouched low, then sprang up onto the seat, slipping a bit on the plastic surface before catching himself. He finally got to his feet, standing up to see over the desk and turned back to the rhino officer.

"Hey! Officer Hopps!" he introduced himself, "Are you ready to make the world a better place?" He asked with a huge grin on his face, offering a paw to give the officer a fist bump. The rhino rolled his eyes, and pushed out his own fist to meet Judas', but kept pushing until the rabbit and chair slid away about a foot. He pulled his fist back and proceeded to ignore the new officer. Judas shook out his slightly bruised paw and chuckled nervously, but turned back to face the front, waiting for the police chief, Adrian Bogo he'd been told was his name, to enter. He'd been looking forward to this moment for almost as long as he could remember. The very moment when he would at long last be able to begin making a positive difference in the world.

"Atten-hut!" commanded a hippo colonel from up the front of the meeting room. All the officers in the room quickly rose to their feet, banging on tables, stamping feet and chanting as a tall and well-muscled cape buffalo ducked in through a side door.

"Ooohhh! Ooohhh! Ooohhh!"

"Alright! Sit down and shut up!" He snapped, and of course everyone did as he said, many with a sly grin on their faces. Judas also sat down, but that meant he couldn't even see over the desk in front of himself, so he stood back up again as the chief began speaking.

"Okay, I have three things on the agenda today. Firstly, I think we need to address the elephant in the room," he said ominously, and the young rabbit prepared himself for the imminent introductions. But instead Chief Bogo looked over to the other side of the room. "Francine," he started, his serious tone drawing all eyes to an elephant cow taking up half the middle row. "Happy Birthday!" A thin smile broke on the buffalo's face, and the room erupted in laughter and applause, many of the mammals closer to her began good-naturedly punching her arms.

"Oh yeah?" She challenged, "Come here then!" She wrapped her trunk around one of the offending tigers, almost crushing the surprised feline, before proceeding to give him a very rough noogie. Judas decided right then that he did not ever want to get on the huge mammal's bad side.

"Ok, settle down," the chief called after he deemed the nonsense had gone on for long enough. "Now there are some new recruits with us today that I should introduce," Bogo began again, leafing through the folder in his arms. Judas again stood straight, ready to make a good first impression, a wide smile on his face. "But I'm not going to because I don't care," he finished flatly, causing many of the other officers to snigger as they saw the rabbit's ears droop slightly. Again, Judas was a little surprised, but laughed it off. Obviously the chief had a very dry personality that would take some getting used to.

"And lastly," this time he sounded far more serious, "we have 14 missing mammal cases. All predators, ranging all the way from a huge polar bear down to a puny little otter." He pointed to a roll-up map of the city on the wall, with pictures of each of the missing predators connected by string to the last known locations of each of the victims. "City Hall is right up my tail _demanding_ that we find out what has happened to them all immediately. This is priority number one! Assignments," he accepted a stack of folders from the colonel, "Officers Fangmeyer, Grizzoli, Delgato, your teams take missing mammals from the Rainforest District. Officers McHorn, Rideovich, Wolford, your teams take Sahara Square. Officers Higgins, Snarloff, Trunkaby, Tundra Town." When they were called up in their groups, they got out of their seats and walked up to the chief, accepting a thin case file between each group. As the number of mammals in the room shrank, Judas got more excited. Not only was he soon going to be getting his first assignment, it was a very important case and would be a great start to his new career.

"And finally, our first bunny," the buffalo acknowledged the new recruit for the first time, he squinted down at the folder in his hoofs through his glasses. "Officer Hopps," he paused briefly as if considering something, "Parking Duty." He turned to leave the briefing room.

"Parking duty?" The rabbit hissed under his breath in shock, before realising that his commanding officer had almost left the room. Jumping down from his seat and running under the table towards the large mammal. "Sir, didn't you say that there were 14 missing mammal cases? Surely I could be of better use helping with one of those? Maybe you forgot, but I was valedictorian of my class!"

"I didn't forget, I just don't care."

"Chief, I'm not just some token bunny, here to make the Mayor look good with his 'Mammal Inclusion Initiative', I got here on my own merits!" Judas was getting a frustrated now. Why did everyone around him assume he couldn't do the job just because he was a rabbit!

"Well then, writing a hundred tickets a day should be easy for you," the chief retorted calmly, before exiting the room, only betraying his own irritation with the slam of the door behind him. Judas stood alone in the room for a moment, both stunned and insulted. His foot started to tap a rapid beat on the floor, getting faster and faster, before he caught himself and brought his emotions under control. It wouldn't do for any of the other officers to walk in and witness him throwing a temper tantrum like a spoiled kit just because he got given a job he didn't like. He was a police officer, and that meant he had to follow orders, even when he didn't like them.

"A hundred tickets? A hundred…" well, if he was stuck on parking duty he would still show everyone that he meant business. "I'll write two hundred tickets!" he decided suddenly, "Before noon!" Boy, was he going to show them not to underestimate him! He turned around and jogged out of the briefing room to individually put an end to illegal parking.

* * *

Judas sped down one of the many main streets in Savannah Central in his vehicle. Well, seeing as his ticket-inspector's car was essentially a re-purposed golf-cart for similar sized mammals to himself (he could smell the grassy scent of the fairway, combined with the sharp tang of fresh paint), 'sped' is probably too strong a word. It would be more accurate to say that he drove as fast as the pimped-up buggy could go, which was barely the speed limit on most streets.

Coming up to his first bank of cars, he stuck a chalk stick out the side of the cart to mark the wheels of the cars as he drove past. That way he'd know if the owners moved their vehicles at any point before he next checked them. However, he didn't have to wait even that long before he met his first parking violation.

" _Beep Beep!"_ Judas' right ear shot up, trying to pinpoint the sound of the offending meter. _"Cha-ching!"_ His eyes homed in on the sound emanating from a meter he'd just passed, a grin spreading over his face.

' _These ears are really good for more than just getting stuck in doors after all!'_ He thought quickly reversing back to where the now illegally parked car waited, jumping out almost before he stopped moving. He quickly proceeded to type out his first ticket for the day. But it certainly wasn't going to be the last, because as he finished placing the ticket under the windscreen wipers, he heard another parking meter expire across the street. He quickly bounced over to issue his second ticket. But again, before he finished, two more meters went off in quick succession. He pinpointed both locations and sprinted to the first one, and then booked the second. And so his morning proceeded in a rush as he dealt out financially irritating justice to all of the many criminal parkers in the city's CBD. The rookie officer took it as a personal challenge to keep up with the machine gun fire of parking meters as they went off in completely random locations and sequences.

He did come across several challenges in dealing out justice though. some cars were too high for him to reach the windscreen, especially one car could only have been built for giraffes. In each of these cases he had to jump and rebound off nearby objects, including his own rabbit-mobile and street signs. Other times, the cars were so small, obviously for mice and other small rodents, that it was difficult to affix the tickets to the windscreens without damaging the fragile wipers. Other times he had to issue multiple ticket simultaneously just to keep up with the sheer volume of meters that were ringing out. But each time he met the challenge with an undying enthusiasm and determination.

Any mammal that had taken the time to watch the young officer work that morning (instead of rushing to their own cars to make sure they hadn't overstayed their time limit!) would've seen little more than a grey blur wearing a fluorescent safety vest racing from car to car with a determination that could leave even a tiger or lion second guessing themselves. And as noon quickly approached, the rabbit was quickly closing in on his target of 200 tickets. However, many of the civilians in the area had either wised up to the crack-down on parking infringements, or had already been booked. But at about 11:55 am, Judas tucked his last ticket on the windscreen of a red sports car, and walked back smugly to his own ride.

"Two hundred tickets! And before noon too! Ha!"

" _Beep beep! Cha-ching!"_ He cringed as his ears registered another meter expiring directly behind him. He'd forgotten his own car, which was now parked illegally.

"Two hundred and one,"he sighed. He couldn't very well just ignore the law just for his own convenience. _'That is a slippery path to go down'_ he told himself.

* * *

As he placed the ticket on his own windscreen, a flash of red-orange fur across the road caught his attention. It was a fox. To be more precise, it was a vixen of average height, which made her at least a head taller than the curious officer. She was dressed in a slightly worn looking shirt with a faint floral pattern, and a grey pair of slacks. However, it wasn't her ordinary appearance that caught Judas' attention, it was the way she seemed to be lurking outside the front of an ice-creamery for elephants.

"I wonder what she's up to?" He mumbled to himself as he watched her follow an elephant through the door. Curiosity got the better of the rabbit and he decided to investigate further. All officers were required to uphold the law in whatever way they could, whenever they could, and Judas had a feeling that he might be needed before long.

He bounded over the road towards the gigantic door the vixen had disappeared through moments ago and peered through the glass trying to see where his quarry had gone. Unable to see from the outside, he opened the door and slipped in, seeing the bushy tail of the fox further up in the line of mammals in front of the counter. As he entered, Judas looked around to get a feeling for the environment in the room, and anything that would help or hinder his impromptu investigation.

All he saw were large mammals, mostly elephants, but several hippos and a rhinoceros as well, all enjoying servings of ice cream that were several of times larger than himself. He glanced over to the kitchen, and caught a reflection of the serving elephant from a glass trophy commemorating the best frozen desserts in Savannah Central that was sitting on a high shelf. Although everyone entering the store would be able to see the trophy, only small mammals would have the vantage angle to see the reflection of the otherwise not so visible serving mammal in the faceted glass. The sight of ice cream being scooped up with the bare end of a trunk, and then toppings being _snorted_ up said trunk, and essentially being blown out again on top of the dessert left the bunny cringing. He turned his attention back to the fox who was now at the front of the line.

"I don't know what you're doin' lurking around during daylight hours _fox_ , but I don't want you causin' no trouble in here, so beat it!" The bull elephant sneered down his trunk. Judas readied himself to intervene if things got heated, the uncomfortable kernel of fear in his stomach from this morning returned. His right paw went to his hip where the fox repellent was on his belt, lending him a sense of security.

"I'm not looking to cause you any trouble sir," began the vixen in a soft, almost tired, voice, "I'm just simply looking to buy a Jumbo-Pop for my son here." Judas released a breath he hadn't known that he was holding in as he saw a young fox in a pyjama onesie toddle up to the fox that was evidently his mother. Judas' ears drooped and he turned to leave, the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach turning instead to shame and guilt that he had so thoughtlessly stereotyped the mother just because she was a fox.

"Ah, I'm such an idiot," he mumbled as he reached for the door, but he froze when he heard the owner's response.

"Look fox, surely there're other ice cream joints in your part of town. Go pester to one of those instead!"

"There certainly are sir, but you see, my son here is obsessed with all things elephant. He even wants to be one when he grows up!" She laughed lightly as her young boy pulled up the hood on his onesie, which Judas could now see was an elephant costume, and blew through the trunk, creating an adorable "Toot-toot!" sound. "See? How cute is that?" the vixen smiled up at the counter.

"That's not cute. That's ridiculous!" the bull sneered. "A fox can never be an elephant, or very much at all now that I think about it. Now, like I said, beat it! In case you can't read, this sign here says that we reserve the right to refuse _anyone_!" He growled, pointing to a small paper sign on the counter that did indeed say as much.

"You're holding up the line!" an older elephant cow complained loudly, pressing forwards, almost standing on the poor fox's bushy tail. The vixen quickly moved the vulnerable appendage out of any further potential harm, starting to look both angry and upset, but as she opened her mouth to reply to the rude customer, her son fell to the ground and began to sob loudly.

"I'm sorry buddy," she tried to console him, "this has got to be pretty much the worst birthday ever." She took his paw and started to turn away from the counter, tail between her legs. Judas couldn't stand it any longer.

"Excuse me sir!" He called out.

"You can wait your turn like everyone else parking boy!" The owner snapped at the new inconvenience. What was it with small mammals who didn't know their place today?

"Actually, sir, I'm a police officer," he pulled out his badge to prove it.

The bull did a double-take at the assertion, the badge held in the rabbit's tiny paw confirming his statement. He pursed his lips, starting to look vaguely concerned. He was probably realising that insulting an officer of the law wasn't really a great idea, even if it was only a bunny.

"I was just wondering if your customers are aware that they're receiving _snot_ and _mucous_ with their cookies and cream?" Judas raised his voice so he could clearly be heard by everyone in the shop. He grinned proudly as his gambit was immediately rewarded with gasps of shock and the messy sound of two elephants, who had been sharing the suspect flavour, snorting it back out all over each other. All ears and eyes turned towards the bunny now. Well, except the owner who turned to glare at the serving mammal, who promptly wiped his trunk off and retreated out to the back of the store. The owner turned back to the rabbit, anger now obvious on his face. He was going to have to refund all of these customers, and probably lose some of their business now.

"I really don't want to have to make a fuss, but I'm sure you know that serving food with an un-gloved trunk is a class three health code violation, which is _kind of a big deal_." Judas continued smugly. Many more of the customers began to direct angry glares at the owner.

"What do you want?" The bull elephant scowled.

"I would be quite happy to let you off with an _official_ warning if you glove those trunks, and, oh, sell this nice mother and her son a Jumbo-Pop, like they so nicely asked." He smiled at the mother, who returned his glance with one of gratitude, and a little surprise.

"Fifteen dollars," the elephant gave in with a sigh.

"Thank you, sir!" the fox smiled and reached into her small purse. "Oh no!" Her smile disappeared in an instant. "I must have left my card at home! I'm so sorry son," she apologised, bending down to the small fox again with moisture glinting in her eyes. "It looks like you'll have to go without after all. Come along then." She started to pull her child away, him trying to pull her back, pointing hopefully at the huge red icicle that all the fuss had been over. Without a second thought, Judas whipped out his own wallet and slapped a $20 bill on the counter.

"Keep the change."

* * *

"Thank you so much, Officer…?"

"Hopps. Judas Hopps," he smiled, before raising an eyebrow inquisitively. They were outside again, Judas still holding the heavy treat for the young fox pup.

"Oh! How rude of me!" the vixen laughed. "I'm Nicole Wilde, but everybody just calls me Nicky."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Nicky!" he turned to the young pup, passing him the Jumbo-Pop, surprised that he could hold it all by himself. "And if you want to be an elephant when you grow up, little buddy, then you be an elephant!" Judas crouched down to the kit's level, sharing an encouraging smile. "Because you know what? We're in Zootopia, the city where anyone can be _anything_!" The young pup tooted his trunk in happy agreement, both Judas and Nicky laughing together at the sound.

"Now, can I pay you back for this sometime Officer Hopps?" Nicky asked.

"Absolutely not! Consider it my treat. I'm just happy that I could help somebody else have a better day."

"You're too kind, Officer! However, I'm afraid I must be going now, I've got an afternoon shift at the factory coming up soon, and I have to get this one to his babysitter."

"That's alright, I should be getting back to work anyway. Happy birthday little one!"

"Give the nice police officer a goodbye toot-toot son!"

"Toot-toot!" the young fox squeaked.

"Toot-toot!" replied Judas, heading back towards his duty car.

"Goodbye, and thanks again!" Nicky called, turning to walk down the street with her son.

"Don't mention it!" Judas replied over his shoulder as he walked with a spring in his step. He'd already made a positive difference in someone's life on his first day. Perhaps this was all going to work out after all!

* * *

 **AN:**

 **Firstly, yes, I know that in the movie the bullpen scene occurs at 8:30 am, but I can't see how Judy would've taken three hours from waking up to getting into work if she lived in the same district, so I made this scene happen an hour earlier for the sake of continuity.**

 **I am really enjoying writing this story, so I hope you guys are enjoying reading it, but I'm afraid I'll be looking to update only around once a week due to Uni, work and everything else I've got going on in my busy life, but if I can update more regularly, I certainly will! Have a great day/night!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

 **Sorry it's been so long in coming, it has been quite a busy week and I haven't had a lot of time spare for writing, which is why I'm posting this at 2 am after just having finished it, so I hope that there aren't to many spelling or grammatical errors. As usual, I hope that you enjoy this chapter, I certainly enjoyed writing it! Feel free to leave a review of what you're thinking of the story so far and whether you think I'm doing the movie justice!**

 _Chapter 5: Pawpsicles_

Judas paced himself more sedately for the second half of his shift. He knew it'd be unwise to try and maintain the mad pace of the morning, he burn out too soon. _'Especially if I keep getting stuck with this stupid job!'_ he thought sourly to himself. He still managed to keep on top of the number of parking meters expiring, but he wasn't able to dash around the entire district and book every car that stayed a second too long. He wasn't too worried though, the chief had only expected 100 tickets over the whole day, and he was already sitting just over 250. After the interesting experience at the ice cream parlour earlier, he had quickly munched on a couple of carrots he bought at a nearby green grocer's, most of his lunch break being used up, before carrying on with his job, now over in Sahara Square. But as he continued to type up tickets with a righteous fervor, he found his mind wandering back to the incident.

It pained him that mammals could still be so prejudiced, even here in Zootopia. Nicky and her pup had been insulted and humiliated just because they were _foxes_! But the part that really upset him was the fact that he had been just as bad as the elephant and customers at the beginning. He had also assumed the worst of the fox, just because of her species. Sure he'd realised his mistake, but he still felt bad about it, and that was one of the reasons why he had had no second thought about buying the Jumbo-Pop for the young pup. He resolved then that he wouldn't judge anyone ever again, just because of their species. _Especially foxes!_ In fact, he found himself wondering if he would see Nicky again. He wouldn't mind getting to know her better. _'I am a little low on friends at the moment,'_ he thought ruefully.

It seemed some higher power had heard his wish, because not ten minutes after the thought had crossed his mind, the reflection of a grey-purple onesie in the windscreen of the car he was ticketing caught his attention. He whirled around in time to see the toddler from earlier walking down the street, his mother wasn't in sight.

"Hey! Little toot-toot..." he began to call out, but something stopped him and he quickly trailed off. The toddler strolled confidently down the otherwise vacant side street and turned into an alley way. There was no hesitation in his step, and even the way he walked looked wrong. He was too sure of himself. These thoughts crossed Judas's mind rapidly as he started to follow the young fox, not even realising his own stealth. He peered around the corner of the alley into which the fox had disappeared, and was struck dumb by what he witnessed.

The pup had several large glass jars lined up on the footpath next to a drainpipe on the wall of the adjacent building, thick, red liquid pouring down the pipe into one of the jars that was positioned below the opening. When it was full the diminutive predator smoothly replaced it with an empty jar with a practiced ease. He then picked up the jar and carried it to a nearby garishly painted van, placing it in the open rear, before returning to the pipe to repeat the procedure all over again. Judas' eyes travelled up the pipe to see where the fluid was coming from in the first place. Up on the roof sat none other than Nicky, relaxing in the warm sunlight right next to the quickly melting remains of the Jumbo-Pop that he had bought for the pair. As the last of the now melted dessert dripped off the stick, Nicky picked it up, slid down the drainpipe and picked up the last jar of sticky juice, placing both in the van and shut the doors. She then surprised the watching bunny again when she climbed into the passenger seat instead of the driver's seat. Instead, the supposedly young fox pup climbed up into the driver's seat, turned the engine and smoothly shifted into gear, and began driving down the street.

It took the police officer a moment to regain his senses, before he raced back to his own vehicle to follow after the enigmatic fox duo. There was no way he was going to ignore his first mystery!

* * *

Keeping up with the van without being spotted proved to be more of a challenge than Judas had anticipated. The streets were busy, and his buggy could barely make the speed limit at the best of times, so several times when his quarry took unexpected, or sharp turns he almost lost them. He actually did lose them at one point when they crossed ant intersection shortly before the light turned red, catching the rabbit on the wrong side. However, he soon caught sight of the brightly painted vehicle and he was on their tail again.

Their first stop was not anywhere that the rabbit might have expected them to go. To say that he was surprised when they crossed the district boundary into Tundra Town would be an understatement. They had just spent the first part of the afternoon melting the icy-pole, why would they want to come somewhere so cold straight afterwards?

The answer to this question came shortly afterwards, the van pulling into an empty clearing in the woods off to the side of the main road. Judas quickly pulled over and parked where he wouldn't be seen and carefully circled around to the clearing to get a good look at what was going on. The thought that he was abandoning his duty shift for the day didn't even cross his mind as he crept up a small snow drift to see the two mammals he had been following again doing something completely unexpected.

The smaller fox, Judas no longer believed he was young at all, was carefully making rows of firm pawprints in the fresh snow with his feet, whilst pressing much smaller popsicle sticks into them as well. Behind him, Nicky was following along with one of the jars of melted popsicle, pouring a small amount into each mould. When they had used up all of the juice, the pair retreated to their van's heated interior to wait. Judas sat in the cold, not wanting to miss what would happen next.

However, 45 minutes later, feeling thoroughly cold and uncomfortable, he was seriously considering returning to his vehicle and driving out to Sahara Square and its surrounding sand dunes to warm up again. He was just about to get up and leave before he froze to death when the two foxes remerged from the van again, talking quietly but intensely. Despite his sensitive hearing, Judas could not make out any of what was said over the wind that had picked up during his wait. Instead, he had to watch as the pair pulled a large esky from the rear of the van, half-filled it with snow, and then went around to each of the small frozen treats, stacking them neatly inside. When they were all stacked away and the esky returned to the boot the two foxes returned to their seats and started the engine. Judas quickly slid down the drift he had been sitting on, and raced away as quickly as his stiff and frozen limbs would allow him. When he arrived back at his car he jammed the key in and managed to start the engine as the van passed by on the other side of the road. He froze, and stared worriedly at the occupants as they drove past, trying to determine if he'd been spotted. However it seemed that they were both too complacent to be keeping an eye out, and neither appeared to notice him. He waited a few more moments to be sure before pulling out to follow him, sitting behind another car to avoid being seen in the rear-vision mirror.

As he drove along, he glanced down at the dashboard and switched on the heater. Cold air began sluggishly pumping out. _'Of_ course!' he thought bitterly, _'It's going to take ages to start pumping hot air, especially in this climate!'_ Without doors, the subzero wind was tearing through the buggy and chilling the cold, wet rabbit to the bone. Gritting his teeth to try and halt their clattering he hoped that wherever they were going next would be one of the warmer districts, otherwise he'd have to give up or risk being hospitalised for extreme hypothermia. That would certainly classify as being the worst first day ever!

* * *

Again it seemed the fates were on his side again as they crossed back into the warm afternoon of Savannah Central, just as the air vents finally began to trickle out warm air. This time Judas had a better time of keeping up with the van as the traffic had subsided from lunch, although it promised to pick up again soon with the evening rush hour.

"And to think I missed an opportunity to write up so many tickets!" he muttered grouchily to himself. He was still thawing out from his unexpected, and unprepared, trip to the snow, and he wasn't in a very charitable mood, and figuring to put as much blame as he could on the fox pair.

He followed the van to a part of town where many big banks and businesses had their headquarters, where the two vulpines parked in a side street. Judas went on about a block before also parking around a corner and returning to watch the next installment of the mystery and finally get an idea as to what was really happening. He didn't have to wait long, because at about a quarter to five, Nicky returned from around the corner, this time wheeling the large esky behind her, while the smaller fox opened up the side of some nearby recycling bins and stepped inside, leaving the officer even more confused than before, however it all started to make sense when it ticked over to five o'clock.

As if by clockwork, steady stream of lemmings began to emerge from the Lemming Bros. Bank, right where Nick had set up her esky full of homemade desserts.

"Pawpsicles! Get your Pawpsicles here! Only $2 each!" she began to loudly spruce her wares. Judas watched in amazement as first one lemming began to walk towards the makeshift stand, and all of his colleagues automatically began to follow him, each holding out a couple of dollar bills to the fox in exchange for one of the homemade treats. It didn't take long before all of the pawpsicles had been bought, and then rapidly consumed. The lemmings all tossing their finished sticks into the recycling bins on the street as they passed by. And when they had all disappeared around the corner, the dressed-up fox re-emerged from the side of the bins towing a series of carts, now full of red-stained sticks. Nicky joined him in pushing the trolleys into the back of the van with the esky.

As Judas sprinted back to his own car to follow the duo once again, he was racking his brain to see if he could work out what they were going to do with the sticks now. He was actually slightly impressed at the ingenuity on display, but he was far angrier that his kindness had been taken advantage of. After sticking up for them, the two foxes were turning out to be just as sneaky and untrustworthy as their stereotype. He was already planning on how he was going to confront the con-mammal as he turned the key and took off down the street, spotting the van several cars ahead.

* * *

The drive only lasted a few short minutes before the van pulled up at the larger mammal's entrance to Little Rodentia, the miniature metropolis situated within the confines of a single city block. After parking out of sight, and crawling through the long grass on the outskirts of the mini-district, Judas saw Nicky, wearing a hard-hat and fluoro vest speaking to the foreman of a tiny construction crew who were in the process of building a tiny apartment complex.

"Lumber delivery!" Nicky announced cheerfully as she placed down several pallets of neatly stacked icy-pole sticks.

"What's with the colour?" the foreman inquired, indicating the red stain on the sticks.

"Oh that? Its red wood!" she smiled in response. The foreman just shrugged, signed off on the clipboard, handed over a stack of miniature notes and returned to his work. His crew were already working late to try and keep on schedule, and he didn't have time to niggle over details that wouldn't be seen when the building was finished anyway.

Judas was fuming as he watched Nicky exit Little Rodentia, cross the road and enter another bank to exchange the miniature money for more conveniently sized notes of the same value. He again followed the pair as they drove out to one of the outer suburbs of the Savannah district, before they pulled over to the side and got out. Judas watched for a moment, trying to see if there was yet another part to this elaborate scheme, but instead he just saw Nicky counting out a stack of money, splitting it in half, so he began to make his way over to the pair.

"There you go Finnick," she handed to smaller fox one pile of notes, "you certainly rock that diaper and baby costume look!" she gloated, earning her a sharp glare from him as he stalked back to his van. "What? No goodbye kiss for your mommy?" she teased.

Finnick spat out the dummy he'd been sucking all day as part of his costume, "You try and kiss me," he growled in a surprisingly deep voice, "and I'll give you one _hell_ of an _un_ -love-bite!" He turned on the radio, and a loud, heavy beat began to spill out of the van into the neighbourhood, before speeding off. Judas might have more inclined to try to book him for hoon behaviour, but he was far more interested in confronting the vixen that now stood in front of him, sucking on a left over pawpsicle.

"Well I never!" he exclaimed loudly, stealing her attention away from the wad of cash in her paw. She looked up at the officer in front of her, not even seeming surprised. In fact she wasn't at all. She'd noticed the conspicuous police-buggy following her all day long. She wasn't worried, but it was the reason that she'd gotten Finnick to drop her off a short walk away from her home, so the nosey cop wouldn't know where she lived.

"Ah, if it isn't Officer Toot-toot himself! I trust your day was pleasant?" She smirked.

"Har har! Actually it's Officer Hopps," he retorted indignantly, "and I don't appreciate being lied to by anyone, especially you! You, ah, you liar!" he finished weakly, unable to think of a better insult on the spot.

"I'm hurt Officer!" she gasped in mock offence, "I wasn't lying. It's called a hustle, sweetheart, besides, I'm not the liar, he is!" Judas looked over to where the fox had pointed down the empty street.

"Who-" he turned back in confusion to see that Nicky had disappeared. Quickly casting about, he spotted her tail disappearing around a corner further up the street. "Ooohh!" he groaned as he raced after his escaping quarry.

"Alright Slick Nicky!" he called out as he caught up to her, "Nice try, but you're not getting away that easily. You're going to explain yourself!" He huffed.

"And why should I do that? What do I even have to explain? Now, why don't you just _hop_ along back to those _very_ important parking meters, and leave me alone! I haven't done anything wrong anyway, so you can't keep me on anything."

"Nothing wrong?" Judas exclaimed. "How about selling food without a permit, transporting undeclared commerce across district boundaries and false advertising?" He counted each of the infringements off on his fingers as he marched alongside the fox.

"Vendor's permit, receipt of declared commerce," the smug fox answered smoothly, removing both documents from her purse to show the crestfallen officer, "and I didn't falsely advertise anything."

"You told that mouse those sticks were redwood!"

"That's right Fluff," she said taking the now finished sweet out of her mouth and waving the stained stick in Judas' face. "Red wood. With a space in the middle. Wood that is red," she emphasised her point by pushing the stick into the bunny's fist. She started to cross the street in front of them, leaving the outmanoeuvred officer gaping on the side of the road. "You can't touch me Carrots!" She called back to the rabbit, "I've been doing this since I was born!"

"You're gonna want to refrain from calling me 'Carrots' again Ms Wilde!" Judas seethed, struggling to catch up to the fox that had just been engulfed by a heard of goats who were crossing the street in the opposite direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nicky cooed insincerely, "I just assumed you came from some little carrot-choked Podunk, no?"

"Ah, definitely not! Podunk is in Deerbrook County, and I grew up in Bunnyburrow, one of the largest towns for miles around Zootopia!"

"Ha ha, whatever you say Bunny bumpkin," Nicky laughed to herself, before speaking up to the persistent rabbit again. "Tell me if this story sounds familiar to you," she asked, snatching a blueberry from a roadside fruit stand without the vendor noticing and popping it into her mouth before starting. "A naïve little guy with good grades, and huge dreams decides, 'Hey! I'm going to move to Zootopia where anyone can be anything and everyone gets along, and sings Kumbaya!' Only thing is, he finds out that whoopsie! We don't all get along. And what about his dream of becoming a police officer in the Big City? Double whoopsie! He's a ticket boy. And whoopsie number threesie, nobody cares about him or his dreams." If Nicky had been paying attention to her trailing companion throughout her little speech, she would've been rewarded with seeing Judas' face falling in response to every one of her surprisingly accurate points. Instead, she continued on. "And soon enough those dreams die, and the little bunny from the country ends up in emotional and literal squalor living under a bridge somewhere," Nicky turned down an alleyway, not bothering to check if the now seething rabbit was still following. She knew he would be. "Until finally he has no choice but to go back home to the country town he so desperately wanted to leave, with that cute, fuzzy-wuzzy, little tail between your legs," she wagged her own tail for emphasis, dropping all pretences of being hypothetical simultaneously moving aside a section of the wooden fence at the end of the alley to pass through the seeming dead end. "And once you're back there? You're from Bunnyburrow you said? Well you'll probably end up being an ordinary carrot farmer like everyone else." She slipped through the narrow gap and continued down the next street.

Judas made to follow, but was almost trampled by a rhino stomping along carrying his groceries, and had to scamper out of harm's way. The rhino just snorted at the smaller mammal as if he were just a nuisance that deserved to get trampled if he couldn't watch out for himself.

"Be careful, or it won't just be your dreams getting crushed!" Nicky called over her shoulder mockingly.

"Hey! No one tells me what I can or can't be!" Judas scolded the vixen, having run to catch up to her, and stopping in front of her to confront her face to face. "Especially some no good, jerk of a fox who was too afraid to ever try to be anything better than a simple _pawpsicle hustler!_ "

"Look," Nicky sighed, bending down to the raging rabbit's level, "I'm going to give you some free advice, so listen up. Everyone comes to Zootopia thinking that they can be anything they want, _but you can't_. You can only be what you are. Sly fox," she pointed to herself, "dumb bunny," she now pointed to the outraged police officer.

"I am not just some dumb bunny!" he growled.

"Right. And that's not wet cement." Judas looked down to see that he was indeed standing in a pool of new footpath as Nicky had pointed out.

"You'll never be a real cop," she whispered in his ear as she walked away from the now stranded rookie. "You're a cute ticket boy though, maybe you'll make supervisor one day. Just hang in there!" she called as she disappeared down the street, leaving Judas to weather the irritation of the construction beavers who had just spent the better part of the afternoon preparing, pouring and smoothing out the new ground.

* * *

By the time he got back to his apartment, it was well and truly dark outside. He'd had to get lifted out of the cement by the workers who gave him hell over not watching where he was going the whole time. By the time he'd gotten back to his car, his new boots were mostly dry, but they also quite heavy. Then he still had needed to drive back to the station and try and explain to the panther in charge of the evening shift why he was two and a half hours late for finishing his shift. That in itself had taken another thirty minutes, and he was expecting to get a scolding by the Chief when he got through to that report in the next few days. Then after a short trip on the train, dodging more glances from other commuters he had finally arrived back.

He grabbed his towel from the rack it hung on and went straight to the bathroom, and found an unoccupied shower in which to wash off the dry and crumbling cement. It took him longer than he had expected, and it wasn't until he finished and was contemplating dinner that he realised he hadn't brought any clean clothes to the bathroom with him. Sighing, he pulled the dirty, and crumpled uniform back on over his still damp fur, trudging back to his room, slipping a microwavable dinner into the microwave when he got in. But when it finished and he opened the bright cover of his 'Carrots for One' meal, he was disappointed again. Inside was one tinny, wrinkled thing that could barely be considered edible, let alone a vegetable. Disgusted he threw the whole container straight in the bin. He didn't feel hungry anymore.

He leaned forward at his desk, and rested his head in his paws, listening to the quite, sombre music playing out of his small radio alarm clock. _'I really should go to bed and get some sleep so I can be ready for tomorrow,'_ he thought to himself, but couldn't motivate himself to move from where he was slumped. It had been just about the worst first day he could've imagined, but at least it was over.

No sooner than the thought ran through his head that his phone began to buzz with an incoming call. He looked at the screen to see a picture of his parents' faces requesting to 'Muzzle Time' him. He sighed again, not really wanting to talk to them now, but he forced a smile onto his lips, turned the radio down, and pressed the accept button.

"Mom! Dad! How are you?" he asked with false enthusiasm.

"Judas! It's so good to see you! We're fine! How was your first day on the force?" Bonnie asked eagerly.

"Hey Jude the Dude! How's the Big City treating you?" Stu asked before his son had a chance to answer his mother.

"Oh, it's great!" Judas lied. "Everyone's so nice and friendly here. I really-"

"Bonnie! Do you see that too?" Stu cut across his son mid-sentence.

"Oh my! Judas, are you are parking inspector?" his mom jumped in, seeing what her husband had just pointed out.

"Wha-?" Judas began to ask in confusion as he looked down, and he realised too late that he was still wearing the orange safety vest "Oh no! Th-this is just a temporary thing-".

"Thank heavens Stu! It's the safest job on the force! Our prayers have been answered!"

"Ticket Boy! Ticket Boy! Ticket b-" Stu began to chant in glee before Judas cut both his parents off.

"Guys! Look, it's been a really long day and I need to get some sleep now for tomorrow," Judas explained, some of his irritation starting to leak out of his positive exterior, but his parents didn't seem to notice.

"Sure thing Jude! Those tickets aren't going to write themselves!" Stu grinned.

' _I wish they would'_ Judas thought to himself bitterly.

"Goodnight son! Stay safe!" Bonnie smiled at her son.

"Yeah, sleep well! Bye!"

"Goodnight," Judas replied, ending the call before his parents could find anything else to talk about. He slumped back down in his seat, turning up the radio slightly again so that he could hear the music properly. Unfortunately that meant his neighbours could also hear it to it seemed.

"Hey! Turn down that depressing music rabbit!" came a shout from either Bucky or Pronk, she wasn't sure yet which was which out of the two antelopes.

"Sorry!" he called back, scrambling to turn the radio off.

"Ah, leave the ticket boy alone! Didn't you hear his phone call with his parents? He feels like a failure!" the other one retorted.

"Oh shut up!"

"No you shut up!

"Tomorrow's a new day. Tomorrow's a new day. To-" Judas began to chant to himself quietly while his neighbours continued shouting back and forth.

"Yeah, but it might be worse!" The first of the neighbours called out again, interrupting Judas' self-motivating. Of course this new comment caused the shouting match to re-intensify between the two room-mates, and Judas had to bury his head in his pillow when he got into his bed to try and drown out the noise so he could sleep. When he did finally sleep, his dreams were fitful, and full of oversized popsicles, foxes and an evil safety vest, chasing him wherever he tried to run away to.

 **AN:**

 **Again thank you for reading this chapter. I'm not sure if some of the words I've used are commonly used over in the US seeing as the spell check on this website doesn't recognise them when the spell check on my computer does, so here's a quick explanation just in case:**

 **Esky = a insulated drinks cooler box that you fill with ice and drinks or food to keep them cold.**

 **Hoon = a reckless and dangerous driver. Hoon behaviour includes, but is not limited to speeding, burn-outs, drag racing, etc**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

 **I'm sorry that this chapter took a bit longer to come out than I hoped. I've had it nearly ready for several days now, only being able to find a bit of time here and there to write it on my phone as I've been besieged by assignments and extra work hours as well. My free time has been rather limited because of this. Anyway, its here now. I've received some suggestions from some readers that it would be a good idea for me to be a little bit more adventurous in changing some things about the story, and I've tried to do that a bit here whilst still maintaining the core of the story line. Let me know what you think. Also as this is my first time writing any sort of action scene, I'd welcome any suggestions you might have as to how to improve this style of writing. Enough chatter! Enjoy! :)**

 _Chapter 6: "Stop in the name of the Law!"_

" _Beep Beep. Cha-ching!"_ Another parking meter, another ticket, another pointless day of parking duty for the jaded Officer Hopps. It was the fourth day in a row being stuck with the worst job on the force, and it had already become a weary routine. Meter expires, place ticket on windshield, try to move on before the owner comes back to abuse him. The only thing is, he wasn't having as much success with the last part so far this morning.

"Hhmmm! I was 30 seconds over!" one moose bellowed, angrily waving his infringement notice at the officer.

"Dumb rabbit! Why do you have to go around spoiling other mammal's days?" demanded a grey wolf.

"Dammit! Show some decency, I was barely late!" someone else scolded him.

"You're a real hero rabbit!" spat another.

"My mommy says she wishes you were dead." Said one young hippo, her mother fuming, but not saying anything directly to the officer.

"Un-cool rabbit! My taxes pay your salary!"

The stream of curses, insults and outrage followed the dejected rookie around all morning. He had a feeling that his constant assignment to parking duty was more than just a way to keep him out of the way at the station, but also a way to break his spirit and get him to quit the force. He'd tried to make some friends with the other officers at the precinct, but none of them had been even remotely interested in being friendly to the rabbit. Most had simply ignored him, some had been polite enough to smile and say hello, but quickly avoided any further attempts at conversation. Some had been downright rude and condescending, reminding Judas of David from the academy. At least how he had been at first. In fact the only officer that showed any interest in being friendly to the new recruit was the overweight receptionist, Benjamin Clawhauser. But even then, whenever he had tried to hold a conversation with the pudgy receptionist, it almost always degenerated to him listening to the cheater gushing about the pop artist Gazelle. At first Judas hadn't minded that much, but pretty soon even he got pretty tired of hearing the latest celebrity gossip about which dancer she was rumoured to be dating, what her favourite food was, her favourite colour, and so on.

The only break in the newly established routine had come that morning when Chief Bogo had called Judas to his office immediately after the morning assignments had been given out, all the other officers were still working unsuccessfully on the missing mammal cases, and Judas had of course been assigned parking duty. At first Judas was confused as to why he was being spoken to in private, but it wasn't long before he found out. Bogo had read the report of the panther in charge of the evening shift.

To say he had been displeased with Judas' impetuous decision to go traipsing all over the city following a couple of small-time con-foxes would have been the understatement of the year. Words like 'irresponsible', 'conceited', 'unprofessional', and many others were spat out by the furious Cape buffalo. In fact, the only reason that Judas wasn't placed on immediate suspension was the fact that he had been able to find and quote a minor section of legislation in the police code. It stated that any officer of the law was permitted to investigate any and all suspicious or potentially criminal activities of a member of the public encountered whilst on active duty if they could do so without requiring a warrant. This of course didn't help to alleviate the Chief's anger, but his hoofs were tied. He did however hint that he would be _extremely_ put out if the young officer tried anything similar again while on duty. Bogo had also refused to acknowledge the extended hours Judas had spent on the first day, so he wouldn't be getting any overtime pay either, not that he was too worried about that aspect though.

The morning's confrontation weighed heavily on Judas as he trudged from car to car, writing up tickets, and copping a double earful of angry civilians' thoughts on where he should shove the next ticket. He'd spent so long working towards finally being a police officer in the 'Big City', but now it all seemed like all his hard work would be for nothing. He was likely going to be stuck with parking duty for a very long time, if not permanently, and he wasn't sure that being a ticket inspector was worth all the hate and anger he was attracting, especially if it was never going to get him anywhere. And after having pissed off the Chief, he didn't see much chance of his career going any further for quite some time. Nicky's words from the other day came back to haunt him as he got back into his traffic buggy.

" _You'll never be a real cop."_

"I am a real cop. I am a real cop. I _am_ a real cop," he started repeating over and over, banging his head on the steering wheel, as if trying to beat the idea into his soul, to try and make himself believe it. He was so distracted with his own depressed thoughts that he was completely oblivious to the brown streak that ran past the front of his car.

"Hey you! Officer I've-" Judas was shaken out of his moment of self-pity by a frantic looking pig who was practically jumping into the traffic buggy with him.

"Sir, if you wish to dispute your ticket, you may challenge your fine in traffic court," Judas robotically recited for what seemed like the millionth time today.

"What? No! You think this is about a parking ticket?" the boar exclaimed loudly. Judas' ears picked up with interest. "My shop's just been robbed! By that weasel over there!" Now that certainly caught the young officer's attention, but he just managed to gape at the fleeing weasel, then back at the shop owner for a moment, frozen in surprise.

"Well? Aren't you going to go after him! You are a cop aren't you?"

"Wha- Yes! Yes! Don't worry sir, I've got this!" Judas yelled with excitement as he leapt out of the car seat, knowing that the vehicle would be too slow and cumbersome for the pursuit. He hit the pavement mid stride, already moving to intercept the felon. On an impulse, he ripped off his safety vest to expose his uniform properly, he wanted to be recognised as a member of the ZPD as he chased the perpetrator.

"Hey you! Stop in the name of the Law!" He yelled at the fleeing weasel, secretly hoping that the crook would do no such thing, but still sticking to correct procedure. The weasel, glanced back for the first time and spotted the closing rabbit and cursed to himself, but instead of stopping, he clutched the large duffel bag he was carrying tighter and picked up his pace.

"Try and keep up Cotton Tail!" he taunted. Judas smiled with anticipation, this was going to be _fun_!

They shot out of the alley they had been racing down, straight into Savannah Central Square, and being lunchtime, it was completely packed with mammals of all different sizes. Obviously the weasel was hoping to lose his pursuer amongst the multitudes, but no way was Judas going to allow that to happen!

* * *

Duke Weaselton dodged left to right, diving between the legs of the larger mammals, while leaping over the smaller ones, always aiming for the denser knots of pedestrians in an attempt to block the rabbit's advance. His heist had been going to plan until that swine had called on the ticket boy to catch him. The rabbit was fast, and agile too. Most of the other officers of the law Duke had had to deal with in the past were too big and clumsy to get hold of him and he usually managed to slip through their grasp. He was in pretty good shape, but he was starting to worry, every time he did glance back, the persistent rabbit had managed to close a few more feet of between them. He glanced back again quickly, seeing the rabbit was only moments away from catching him, he realised he needed something fast to put some extra distance between himself and the Law. And it was the Law itself that provided.

Evidently the shop owner had also called the ZPD headquarters with the report of the burglary, because a huge squad car pulled up in front of the crook and a huge rhino lumbered out of the vehicle. Duke smiled, there was no way that Officer Pointy would be able to keep up with him, and he might also slow down the other officer. He crouched low, and ran underneath the high riding car, hearing the rhino radioing the station as he got out, clarifying the situation.

* * *

Judas also saw the police car pull in front his quarry, and for a moment feared that his first chase would end with another officer making the arrest. Instead, he was mildly surprised to see the weasel get away so easily by slipping under the body of the car, almost like he had done the same thing many times before.

"This is Officer McHorn, we've got a 10-31-"

"I've got dibs! Officer Hopps! I am in pursuit!" Judas interrupted the senior officer's radio call to the station as he jumped onto the bonnet of the car and ran over the roof, startling the veteran patrol mammal as he did so. But jumping down onto the pavement again to continue his chase, he couldn't resist turning around and pumping both fists at the still shocked rhino, and letting loose a wild "Whoop Whoop!" He turned back to his chase to find that the Weasel had nearly doubled the distance between them thanks to the interruption from the other officer. He grit his teeth and increased his pace and began to close the gap again. He couldn't allow this to go on for too long after all.

* * *

The squad car had given Duke just the lead he'd needed, but he could hear the bunny officer gaining on him again, and could feel his own breathing starting to get heavy. There was no way he could keep this sprint up for much longer. He glanced around for a way to try and end this race in his favour. A wicked grin spread across his face as a plan came to mind, and he changed direction and darted towards the large wrought iron fence that marked the border of Little Rodentia.

* * *

Hopps noticed the sudden change in direction, and looking ahead he quickly discerned the crook's destination and frowned. Out here there was little risk that they could cause any harm or damage, but inside the mini-district they would be giants and could crush innocent civilians if they weren't careful. Realising the weasel probably wanted to force him to withdraw out of that very concern, he redoubled his efforts to close on the robber before he could enter the district.

* * *

It was going to be close Weaselton realised. Closer than he cared for. He was used to escaping by a whisker's breadth, but this chase was shaping up to be perhaps his closest encounter with the law yet, and he was beginning to worry that he might not get away this time. As he approached the entry gate, he catapulted his prize into the and over the high fence, whilst simultaneously diving through the small entry hole, several mice scrambling out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by the much larger predator.

"Ooof!" He grunted as he wriggled through and regained his feet, picking up the bag and darting off. He glanced down at his torn shirt and grazed chest, reassuring himself that his haul would make this all worth it.

"Hey! Stop right there Buster!" He glanced back down the miniature street too see the rabbit officer still pursuing him.

"Damn it!" He gasped to himself. He was going to have to put his plan into action after all.

* * *

Judas had seen how the weasel had entered the small city without a care for any of the smaller mammals, and felt a surge of anger rise up inside him. There was no way that he was going to let that menace escape him now, and any doubts he had about entering the district quickly evaporated. Gathering himself together as he approached the entry way he jumped, kicking his feet forwards to slide through the brick archway feet first, and scoring some annoying, but not serious, gravel rash on the way through. Springing back to his feet he took after the reckless weasel, shouting for him to stop.

Judas rounded a corner, following the weasel further into the maze of streets and was met by the strangest of sights, and for the first time in his life he felt huge. Mice, shrews and other tiny mammals walked and drove down the street in cars that would've been for only suitable as toys back home. He stood as tall as many of the four-story apartment buildings lining the roads, many with the inhabitants staring out of their windows as if he were some kind of horror movie monster come to destroy their city. He certainly hoped that wouldn't end up being the case.

But Officer Hopps didn't have time to take in the scenery, the weasel was making a dash across the bustling metropolis, and Judas feared someone could get badly injured, or worse. Instead of running flat out, he now had to carefully dodge traffic and pedestrians as he raced along, whilst the crook in front of him simply kicked many of the cars out of his way, but that was slowing him down as well.

* * *

Duke was getting really tired now, and he was starting to feel the stinging of his multiple scrapes and bruises from his desperate entry to the district, it was now or never. Using his all-important duffel bag to help him get a better support, he hauled himself on top of a row apartment buildings and sprang quickly from roof-top to roof-top. It helped him make better time, but it also made him a more visible target to the fast-closing rabbit. However, the officer, probably not wanting to risk further damage to the buildings opted to run alongside the row of buildings. _'Perfect!'_ Duke thought to himself, and purposely slowed down allowing his rival to pull up alongside him.

* * *

Anthony and his friends were laughing together and chattering excitedly to one another, clutching their new purchases to themselves as they left 'Mousie's _Tail-_ ored Suits' on Swift St. They'd had a busy morning so far organising the last few necessities for the evening's festivities. So far they had visited the catering company to drop off a few last minute alterations to the menu, much to the head chef's obvious irritation. After that they had visited the barber shop for a grooming and trim and then they had gone to pick up their new suits, trying them on first to find that they fit splendidly. Now they were heading over to the nearest bar to have an early lunch and relax with a few beers. However, just as they walked down the street, not paying any attention to the more frantic than usual crowds, something happened that almost cut their day tragically short. It was Robert, Anthony's best friend who noticed the looming shadow first, and looked up in puzzlement.

"Aaarghhh!" he squealed, dropping his suit bag and sprinting away at top speed. The rest of the group looked up to see the building they were passing tipping over, and getting dangerously closer. Time seemed to slow down for young Anthony. His other friends all reacted instinctively, dropping their purchases and scattering in all directions for safety, however Anthony felt like his paws were glued to the pavement and he couldn't move away from the falling building. His last thought as the looming wall raced down to meet his face was that this was the way he'd least expected to go, being crushed by a toppling building. And then everything went dark.

* * *

Judas was finally gaining on the wearying burglar, and despite him having a clear path on top of the buildings, he was slowing down. This would all be over soon and Judas would be able to proudly march into the station with his first arrest! However, he was puzzled when the weasel glanced over and _grinned_ at him.

"Catch _this_ Officer!" he sneered, and dropped to the other side of the building he was on and pushed. Hard. At first nothing seemed to happen, but slowly, and then more quickly, the heavy brick building began to topple back towards Judas. The structure was easily several times his own weight, and he instinctively prepared to dive out of the way of the crushing force when his ears picked out multiple high pitched screams and squeaks from the terrified residents and passers-by. He couldn't leave so many mammals to die when there was any chance he could do something to prevent it. That was what he had been trained for after all. He instantly altered the direction of his leap and landed with his back on the pavement and brought his powerful hind legs up to meet the descending brick wall. The shock of the huge weight slamming into his feet drove his knees back into his chest, knocking the wind out of his lungs. For a moment he worried that he may have taken on too tough of an opponent this time, and that all his doubters would be proven correct that he couldn't take care of himself.

However, the building's descent came to a shuddering halt with the rabbit officer pinned beneath the immense weight. Judas opened his eyes to see the red brick wall quivering less than an inch in front of his nose. Turning his head to see if everyone else was alright he saw a male shrew cowering on the pavement, seemingly unable to move.

"Hey you there! Move! I don't know how long I can hold this thing!" Judas gasped at him, shocking the mammal out of his trance. He stared at the officer in awe, before quickly nodding and darting away. Judas could now hear many calls of surprise, shock and even a few cheers from the many witnesses to the feat of strength and courage being displayed in front of them. But he couldn't rest yet, there were still many mammals inside the building that could be injured or worse, and he was starting to get really tired. His left leg began to get the shakes. Taking a deep breath, he began to push with all of his strength, using the muscles in his arms and back to give added leverage on the heavy load.

"Yaahhh!" he grunted with the extreme effort, but slowly it began to move backwards, getting slightly easier to push for every inch it moved. Eventually its weight was back over its base of support and landed back down on its proper footings, a shower of dust cascading down all of the walls with the sudden shock. He sprawled back on the pavement for a moment, regaining his breath. _"That was close!"_ he thought with a sigh of relief. But his moment of rest and reflection were interrupted by a loud chorus of cheers and whistles from the crowd that now surrounded him. He looked around to see thee smiling and encouraging faces of so many mammals, that it momentarily filled his heart with pride and fulfilment. He had finally made a positive change in the lives of others, and even saved lives! However, he quickly remembered the reason why those lives were in danger in the first place, and he grew cold with anger. That weasel was going to pay dearly for all the trouble he'd just caused.

* * *

Duke chuckled gleefully to himself. He'd come out on top again, like he always ended up doing. He had his prize, and he'd taken care of that troublesome bunny cop. He continued to jog down one of the narrow streets, not caring about any of the citizens who were having to madly scramble out of his way to avoid being crushed. He was looking for an old subway entrance that had been forgotten when Little Rodentia had been built more than 50 years ago. The ZPD had probably placed an officer at each main exit to catch him, so he needed a way out that nobody else knew of, and he doubted if more than a handful of mammals in the whole city knew of the abandoned tunnel system. He approaching a less built-up part of the town where the entrance was hidden, when he heard a slight, rhythmic jingle that seemed out of place. Turning around in puzzlement, he was frozen in shock at what he saw.

A half-mad rabbit dressed in a torn and dusty police uniform was running at full pelt directly at him. But it wasn't the bunny's scruffy appearance that caught his attention, or the look of fury burning in his sapphire blue eyes. What really froze him to the spot was the sight of a comically large fake doughnut that would be the right size for an elephant. In his shock and confusion, Duke didn't manage to react in time, and when he did finally turn to escape the wrath of the approaching officer it was already too late. Raising the plastic doughnut that was almost as large as he was over his head, the rabbit leapt high in the air, covering the last few feet between them in a fraction of a second, and as he descended, he slammed the doughnut over the weasel's head. Duke was well and truly stuck, and no matter how hard he squirmed, he couldn't get loose.

"Don't even try," the cop growled, actually managing to sound menacing. Weaselton froze, sensing that perhaps this bunny wasn't one to be trifled with. "You're under arrest for burglary, evading police, reckless endangerment of life, and anything else I can think of on the way to the station! You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." Duke groaned inwardly as he was read his rights. This was _not_ how he had expected today to go!

* * *

"I _popped_ the Weasel!" Judas cried triumphantly as he dragged the captured mammal into the precinct HQ behind him. However, in his rush to get in and show his prowess to all those who had doubted him, he caused the criminal to stumble and fall over. And because he was still trapped in the oversized doughnut that Judas had 'borrowed' from the roof of a diner when tracking the thief, he ended up rolling all the way into Clawhauser's desk before tipping over and landing the weasel on his head. All conversation in the lobby stopped and all eyes turned to take in the extraordinary sight. But, just as the smug officer began to saunter over to the humiliated weasel, he was frozen in his tracks by a bellowing roar from the walkway lining the second floor of offices.

"HOPPS!" Judas cringed. There was no mistaking that that was Chief Bogo. And he was _furious_! "My office. Now!" Not one to postpone bad news, Judas gritted his teeth, and climbed the stairs to the open office door.

Bogo waited until the rabbit was seated in the oversized chair before he tore into the young officer.

"What the _hell_ do you think you were doing?" He demanded angrily.

"Sir, I-"

"Shut it Hopps! I assigned you to _parking duty_! Not patrol! And what do I hear you've done? Chased down a small-time crook and his _precious_ loot of a few dozen mouldy onions! Endangering half of Little Rodentia in the process!" The sarcasm was dripping from the buffalo's mouth as he dropped the bag of stolen goods on his desk, revealing a pile of dirty looking bulbs that could've easily been mistaken for onions.

"Sir, I hate to disagree with you, but those aren't onions. They're called Midnicampum holicithias. My parents use them as a natural insecticide-" Judas trailed off when he noticed the glare on Bogo's face. "Anyway, _I'm_ not the one who endangered Little Rodentia. _That_ was the weasel I apprehended!"

"Fortunately for you, that's what the media thinks as well, otherwise I'd fire you right here right now!" the chief menaced. Judas' ears fell flat against his head. Perhaps he'd gone too far this time. There was no way that he was ever going to be given a chance to prove himself now. It'd be parking duty for the rest of his career from now.

"But if you _ever_ pull another stunt like that again I'll-"

" _Chief Bogo?"_ Clawhauser's voice cut in on the telephone paging system, _"Sir, Mrs Otterton is here to see you again."_

"Not now Clawhauser!" Bogo snapped, pressing the button on the intercom so that the receptionist could hear.

" _Ok. I just wasn't sure if you wanted to take this one, because she's really insistent!"_ the cheater's squeaky voice betraying his nervousness about interrupting the chief when he was angry.

"I said not now Clawhauser!" The chief angrily ripped the phone out of its cradle so it the intercom couldn't be used, preventing any further disruptions. "Now where was I?" He muttered darkly to himself. "Oh yes. If you _ever_ do something like that again I'll fire-" he was cut off mid-rant by the door suddenly swinging open, causing both officer to turn in surprise to see who would dare barge in on the angry Cape buffalo.

"Chief Bogo, just a moment of your time _please_!" pleaded a female otter Judas assumed to be Mrs Otterton, as she walked into the office. An out of breath Clawhauser suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I'm sorry sir!" he gasped. "She's really fast. Ughh! I need to go sit down," and with that he stumbled away to rest his large frame. Bogo turned back to Mrs Otterton.

"Mrs Otterton, I am sorry, but we are really busy," the chief explained, putting on a patient tone that barely managed to conceal his irritation.

"Sir, I need my husband back! Emitt Otterton," she pulled out a photo of her husband surrounded by his family. A photo that Bogo was all too familiar with. Sympathy for the family tugged at his heart and his tone softened somewhat.

"We're doing all we can to find your husband ma'am, along with all the other missing mammals." At this, Judas' ears perked up again. This Emitt Otterton was one of the 14 missing mammals he had heard about.

"It's not at all like him though sir!" Mrs Otterton was practically in tears now. "Surely there's someone else you can spare to look into his case specifically? We have two young pups, and I can't possibly cope with them on my own!"

"I'll find him," Judas spoke up, earning himself a glare from the chief that could've frozen a polar bear.

"Oh thank you! Thank you so much! Bless your soul Officer!"

"Can you excuse us for just a moment Mrs Otterton? Mr Hopps and i need to discuss a few things," Bogo asked sweetly, really testing the limits of his patience.

"Yes of course! Here's a picture of my Emitt, Officer Hopps. Thank you both so much!" she smiled as she stepped out of the office and Bogo shut the door behind her.

"You're. Fired." he seethed.

"Bu- What for?"

"Insubordination!" he snapped whilst trying to keep his voice down so Mrs Otterton wouldn't hear. "I don't care that Little Rodentia thinks you're a hero, or about the Mayor's Mammal Inclusion Policy. I've had enough of you doing whatever the hell you want. You're going to walk through that door, tell Mrs Otterton that you're a _former_ police officer with delusions of grandeur and won't be taking the case." With that he swung open the door for the broken-hearted rabbit to leave, but instead was confronted by the sight of the Assistant Mayor speaking to a Mrs Otterton.

"I just heard that Officer Hopps is taking the Otterton case!" she beamed up at the stunned buffalo.

"Assistant Mayor Bellwether!" he gasped.

"The Mayor will be so glad to hear that his policy is really starting to pay off! Especially after today's heroics Mr Hopps! You really are making a big difference already!" She pulled out her phone and began texting Mayor Lionheart.

"Le- let's not inform the Mayor just yet, please?" Bogo stammered, but he was already too late.

"And that's done, so that's that," Bellwether muttered to herself as she stepped into the office. "I actually came over to be the first to congratulate you on this morning's events Judas," she said to the now hopeful rabbit officer. "That was quite some feat! That building must have easily weighed more than 10 times your own body weight, and to dive under it to save the lives of other mammals? That is truly something else!"

"Well, I, um…" Judas stammered, unsure as to how to take this sudden praise after so recently being chewed out by Chief Bogo. "I guess I just did what any other decent cop would have done?" he offered weakly. He didn't notice the look of grudging respect that the chief was now trying to hide. He hadn't been fully aware of the situation regarding the building falling over, and for the rabbit to dive underneath it to save others? That _was_ something only a good cop would do…

"Anyway, that's all I came to say, and to warn you that this won't be the last you hear about what you did this morning! So I'll let you get started on that case then! Bye." And with that Bellwether left the office and shut the door on the two officers. Judas looked up at the chief hopefully.

"Uggh. Fine. You can take the case," the larger mammal sighed, causing Judas to leap with joy, pumping his fist in the air. "You can take the case, _But!_ " Caution flashed over the rabbit's face as he realised there was going to be some conditions attached. "I'm only going to give you 48 hours to solve it. If you haven't found Mr Otterton, or at least made some _significant_ progress in that time then _you_ resign," the buffalo announced with cold finality. "No complaints. You're only other option is parking duty until your next little misstep that I can fire you for. You decide."

"Oh, um," thought the crestfallen rabbit. It was a tough deal, but what other choice did he have? Continue doing something he hated, trying to avoid every little mistake with no chance of advancement? No, that was not something he could put himself through. He'd go insane within a month. He screwed up his courage. "Okay. Deal. But if I do find him, you take me off parking duty and give me _real_ cases. Permanently."

"Hmmmff!" Bogo snorted, "Let's wait and see if you manage to find him first, then we'll see about patrol and other duties," he allowed. "Clawhauser will give you the complete case file and you can get started straight away." Judas opened the door and was on his way out before he leaned back in and looked the Police Chief of Zootopia in the eye.

"I _will_ find him sir. I promise." With that the rabbit finally left the tired buffalo to some peace and quiet. He snorted and rolled his eyes at the thought of that bunny actually finding the missing otter. None of his experienced detectives had been able to turn up more than a couple of useless clues on any of the 14 missing mammal cases in the past two weeks, so there was no way this inexperienced bunny could do anything more.

"If he does find that otter before his time's up, I'll eat my badge!" he muttered to himself darkly before returning to focus on coordinating the rest of his force to cover as much ground as possible looking for any trace of the missing predators.

 **A.N.**

 **I'm afraid that it likely my next few chapters will also come out slowly, but I'll try to keep them coming, so stick with me! The semester is nearly half over, and when exams are done in a couple of months I plan on writing more often, including some new stories that I've been thinking about...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

 **I'm sorry that this one has taken so long for me to post, but I've had some really hectic weeks at Uni with mid-semester assignments and tests and such. I guess that's what I get for doing a Science and Engineering Double degree :P Don't worry, I don't plan on leaving this story unfinished! And I hope that I'll be a bit more regular with the next few installments after this, but we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, here is the next installment!**

 _Chapter 7: "It's called a hustle, sweetheart!"_

Judas trotted down the stairs quickly, heading directly to Clawhauser's desk to pick up the case file on Emmitt Otterton. He finally had the chance he'd been looking for! Although he was worried about what would happen if he couldn't find the missing otter in the two days he had. It wasn't like he'd had much of a choice in the matter, but it was still a tough bargain and he hoped it didn't end up costing him his career so shortly after it began. He looked up to the receptionist's desk as he arrived to find the chubby cheater quenching his thirst with a bottle of soft drink that was nearly half as big as the rabbit.

"Err hem!" he coughed to catch the other mammal's attention.

"Hmm? Oh it's you Judas! The Chief just paged me to tell me to give you the Otterton case. Congratulations!"

"Thanks Ben, but do you think you could grab it for me quickly, I'm kinda on the clock here."

"Sure thing, just jump up here while I get it for you." Judas did so as the cheater rummaged around in one of the filing cabinets underneath his desk. "Aha! Here it is," he said triumphantly as he pulled out one thin folder and set it down in front of the rookie cop. "The complete case file on one missing Emmitt Otterton." But when Judas flipped open the cover, the file looked everything but complete. There was only one page with a few personal details and a picture of the last confirmed sighting of the otter taken with a nearby traffic camera.

"Um, Ben? Are you sure that's it? There's nothing else in the drawer?"

"Let me check quickly, but I don't think so." He rummaged around in the filing cabinets for a few more minutes while Judas looked over the picture carefully for anything that might give him just the slightest clue as to the otter's whereabouts. "No, nothing else here I'm afraid Jude. That's gotta be the smallest case file I've ever seen! And because you haven't even been here for a full week yet you're not in the system, so you don't have any resources or leads! Ha! I sure hope you didn't stake your career on cracking this case!" he laughed in an effort to lighten the mood. Judas tried to hide the look of anguish that darkened his features by looking more closely at the picture.

There was _something_ about the image that looked familiar. The otter was crossing a busy street, holding something red in his paw. There were lots of other mammals walking around so it was obviously in the middle of the city during the day. It looked like a strip mall of – _'Wait a minute!'_ he thought to himself suddenly, _'What was he carrying in his paw?'_ It looked familiar, but he needed a closer look, he couldn't be sure just by squinting at the page. A loud slurp from the cheater next to him intruded on his thoughts, causing him to turn and glance at the noisy mammal who was just finishing his soda.

"Hey Ben, do you mind if I borrow that for a moment?" he asked indicating the now empty glass bottle.

"Uh, sure?" he handed over the bottle in confusion. But he was surprised when he saw Judas use it as a magnifying glass to get a better look at the image.

"Pawpsicles! Yes, I thought so! Now where is – ah! There she is! Come and get your Pawpsicles indeed! Haha! Just you wait… Thanks Ben!"

"I, uh, sure. Wait what just happened? What did you find?" The receptionist had been completely unable to keep up with what was obviously racing through the rabbit's mind as he had looked at the photograph.

"Oh, I think I just found my first witness! Can you please direct me to the supply room? Oh, and I'll need access to the financial records system."

"Okay then," conceded Ben, still confused, but resigned to remain that way and did his best to help out the excited rabbit. After Judas had gotten all the equipment and information that he needed, he raced out of the front doors, leaving the spotted officer feeling exhausted just from watching the energetic bunny race about. "Well, that was exhausting! I think I need another doughnut. Or three!" he muttered gleefully to himself, proceeding picking up a sugar coated jam doughnut.

* * *

Nicky was working. At least that's how she liked to think of it anyway. She was pushing her stroller down Mane Street on the west side of Savanah Central. But instead of a baby in the stroller, Finnick lay in the carriage, dressed up again in his elephant onesie she'd made for him. Today their mark was an ice cream parlour that they hadn't been to in quite a few months, this one run by a much friendlier grizzly bear for medium to large mammals.

Actually he was a little _too_ friendly, and that was the main reason that she and Finnick had decided to move on and try different stores. The bear, who went by the name of Big John, had actually invited Nicky back to his place for dinner once, but suggested rather crudely that she'd better leave her young son with a friend, as things might get a little too, well, _mature_ for him. She'd been rather unsettled by his obvious advances, but she'd managed to get off with some weak excuse about how 'little Finny' could never get to sleep without her and she had to look after him herself. Big John hadn't really looked all that convinced but he let the matter drop. However, after a few more unsubtle advances, she and Finnick had decided to move on and try elsewhere. Plus, there were bigger popsicles to melt anyway.

She was thinking through the ways she could excuse herself for not having visited in a while without upsetting the bear. They really didn't want another episode like earlier that week where she had almost been kicked out of Jumbeaux's. If it hadn't been for that naïve, gullible rabbit cop, she wouldn't have been able to earn nearly as much as she had that day, but she hadn't wanted to push her luck there again.

Almost as if her thoughts had summoned him, at that very moment she was startled by a sudden blast of a police siren right next to her. She swung her head to the left to find herself almost snout to snout with the young officer.

"Hello Nicky, fancy seeing you here!" Judas grinned.

"Officer Fluff! What a _pleasant_ surprise," she recovered quickly from her momentary shock at seeing the rabbit so soon, "What can I do for you today?"

"Har har, it's Hopps actually," he corrected, pulling to a stop next to her, "And I was actually wondering if I could ask you a few questions about a case?"

"What, did someone steal a traffic cone? I swear it wasn't me!" she replied, her voice oozing with sarcasm. She tried to keep walking past the spot where the cop had stopped. But the rabbit just drove up onto the pavement, blocking her escape.

"Hhmmff," Judas snorted in annoyance, getting out of his car and standing right in her path. "No. _Actually_ I'm wondering if you know one Emmitt Otterton? He's gone missing and I'm trying to help his wife find him."

"I know everyone in Zootopia, Hoppsy," she bragged.

"Well, have you seen him recently?" Judas prompted, ignoring the name calling this time.

"Even if I had, why should I tell you? I'm a bit busy as you can see," frankly she was starting to get rather fed up with this self-righteous rabbit. She had work to do, and money to make.

"Oh, I'm sure that a _few dollars_ of re-frozen popsicles can wait. This is much more important."

"Ha! A few dollars! I'll have you know that I earn _200 bucks a day_ , Fluff! Every day since I was twelve! So why don't you _hop_ along and stop bothering me. If it was as important as you say, they would have assigned the case to a real cop anyway. So goodbye!"

"Okay. So we're going to do this the hard way then are we?" Judas sprung forward and in the flash of an eye he jumped back again, leaving the stunned fox trying to figure out what he'd just done. It wasn't until she tried to move the stroller forward a step that she noticed it wouldn't move.

"Did you just boot my stroller?" she asked looking down in confusion, before looking back up at the smug rabbit's face, feeling even more irritated than before.

"Nicole Wilde, you're under arrest!" he proclaimed officiously.

"For what? Huwting yaw feewings?" she retorted in baby-speak trying her best to frustrate the bunny in front of her. Instead, his grin only seemed to grow.

"Felony tax evasion." Nicky's heart stopped. _'What did he just say?!'_ Officer Hopps, however, pulled out a pen and opened one of the folders he was holding in his paw. "Let's see. $200 a day is a _lot_ of money, and looking at your tax declaration forms, you've declared… Wow! Zero dollars!" he gasped with fake surprise. "Hmm. Well, we'll just have to fix that won't we?" he asked the stunned fox, her mouth still hanging open. "$200 a day, 365 days a year for, what? 20 years? That's… My goodness! _One million, four hundred and sixty thousand dollars!_ And no taxes? I mean, I could be wrong, I am just a dumb bunny after all, but we are good at multiplying," he laughed, laying on the sarcasm even more than Nicky had been earlier.

Nicky had snapped her mouth shut when Judas had said 20 years, but stopped herself short of correcting him, it wouldn't do to mention that she'd lied on another document, even if it had been years ago. Instead, she decided it was time to go on the offensive again.

"Oh yeah, and where's your proof? It'd be my word against yours, and there's no way a jury could convict me based on that!" she challenged, a smile breaking out on her muzzle at the realisation that she was safe. _'Ha! Got ya there rabbit!'_ she thought triumphantly to herself.

" _Ha! A few dollars! I'll have you know that I earn 200 bucks a day, Fluff! Every day since I was twelve!"_ a tinny sounding recording of Nicky's earlier bragging cut through her optimism. She looked up in horror to see the young officer proudly holding up a small digital voice recorder. Her astonishment was clearly evident on her face, so Judas felt the need to rub it in a little bit.

"What do you think? Standard ZPD voice recorders. Perfect for getting an unwitting confession when you need one," he grinned wickedly.

"You were wearing a wire?" the vixen asked incredulously.

"It's not really a wire, it uses bluefang to this microphone here," he pointed out the miniscule device pinned just behind his badge and out of sight. "Now, let's talk business. You help me find Mr Otterton, and I'll give you this recording and let you off with a warning. _Or_ you could just come with me know and we can go to the tax office for you to start paying back all those unpaid taxes. Plus interest of course," he added, savouring the shell-shocked look on the fox's face, before deciding to add one last insult to injury. "It's called a hustle, _sweetheart_ ," crossing his arms and tilting his head smugly.

Nicky couldn't seem to think of what to say, her jaw was just working itself up and down, trying to say something that would get her out of this mess, but nothing came. However, the silence was suddenly shattered by a loud raucous laugh from the forgotten stroller.

"Ha! Ha ha ha! Oh man that is just _gold_! He hustled _you_ Nicky! He hustled you big time!" Both mammals started and turned to the carriage to see the short fennec fox climbing down, still dressed in his elephant costume, and walking between them. "Looks like you'll be working with the Fuzz now Nicky!" he continued to laugh and snigger to himself about Nicky's sudden change in career as he walked down a nearby alley, not even bothering to farewell his partner in crime.

"Well, what will it be Nicky? Are you going to help me or not?"

"Well, it's not like I really have much choice is it? Yes I'll help you find your missing otter, but only if you promise to stop bothering me when we're done. _And_ that you'll give me that recording too."

"Oh of course! I don't enjoy your charm that much that I'm going to make a habit of hanging around you. Now, where did you see him go from here?" Judas pulled out the date stamped photograph that showed the otter walking down the street, and a rather familiar red fox tail on the edge of the shot.

"You recognised me just from my tail?" Nicky asked, coyly "I'm flattered."

"Wha- No! I just- The pawpsicle! He's eating one of your pawpsicles!" he stuttered, ears burning.

"Sure thing officer," she replied smoothly, glad that she'd finally scored one against the rabbit today. "And yes I did see where he went, but I don't exactly think it's a place for cute little bunny rabbits to go."

"Don't call me cute, just get in the car."

"Whatever. You're the boss," she sniggered, storing the insult up for another time, realising just how much that one had irritated him. Judas squeezed into the cabin next to her and pulled back out to the street, following the reluctant fox's directions.

* * *

Judas was feeling rather relieved when they pulled up in front of their destination after the short, but uncomfortably squished ride. The ticket mobile he drove was really only big enough for one, maybe two, rabbit-sized mammals, and having a fox sitting right up against him had tested the limits of what the little cabin could fit. It certainly hadn't helped that Nicky had 'accidentally' tickled the back of his head multiple times with her tail, startling and embarrassing the officer, while Nicky sat there with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Okay, we're here," Judas sighed, extricating himself from the overcrowded seat. "Mystic Springs Oasis. Hmmm, interesting name. Shall we go in?" he turned to Nicky who was gracefully exiting the small car.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Carrots?" she smirked as Judas rolled his eyes.

"Huumph! Let's just get this over with."

"Okay then, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Whatever." Judas pushed open the large wooden door to find themselves in a large foyer, dimly lit by a few stained glass windows and a multitude of beeswax candles, which were giving off a strongly spiced scent that sent his nose twitching. A soft, exotic music was playing from hidden speakers. The two mammals slowly walked through the empty room, passing past an indoor water fountain tinkling quietly to one side, surrounded by several plush cushions. The floor was decorated with exquisite silk rugs, and several large ceramic urns and vases. Bead and glass designs hung from the roof and the walls. Judas looked around in curiosity. This looked like quite an interesting place to visit, thinking that he might want to come back and check it out more some other time. But right now he had a job to do.

Down the far end of the foyer was a reception desk in front of one of the few windows. It was covered not with paperwork, or computers, but more of the scented candles that burned throughout the room. Behind the desk sat a bare-chested yak with a very long and matted head of fur. As they drew closer to the desk, Judas could hear a soft humming coming from the yak who appeared to be deep in meditation.

"Um, excuse me," he asked softly, not wanting to startle the meditating mammal, but he didn't seem to hear.

"Hooooom," he continued humming.

"Excuse me," Judas spoke up a little bit louder.

"Hooooom."

"Excuse me!" a little bit louder this time.

"Hooooom!" Was it just him, or was the yak getting louder as well?

"Excuse me sir!" the rabbit called out loudly, finally managing to get the larger mammal's attention.

"Hmmm? Ach, ahem!" he coughed and spluttered as he came back to the real world, shaking his head and unsettling a cloud of flies that had all been hiding in his matted head fur. Judas suppressed a shudder as he caught a whiff of unwashed fur wafting over from the large bovine.

"Hi! How are you? I'm-"

"Woah! I'm going to put the brakes on right there, 'cause we're all good on Bunny Scout cookies," the large mammal interrupted.

"What? Bunny Scout coo- No, sorry I'm Officer Judas Hopps, ZPD," he corrected, trying to ignore the grin on Nicky's face. "I was wondering if you might be able to answer a few questions about a mammal who may have frequented this establishment. A Mr Emmitt Otterton?" she pulled out the picture of Emmitt and his family that his wife had given him earlier.

"Oh! Old Emmitt! Yeah I know him, he comes here all the time, but I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. Why, did something happen to him?"

"Well, yeah. He's gone missing and I was hoping that you'd have some information to help me find him."

"Well, you should talk to his yoga instructor, Nangi. She'll probably remember more than I can. I'd be happy to take you two out back to see her," he offered, standing up to walk around the desk.

"That would be great sir! This is really helpful," he turned back to Nicky to see if she was following. "I really appreci- Oh! Woa!" as he'd turned back to see where they were being led he'd gotten about the biggest shock of his life. "Oh my! Yo-you're naked!" he stammered.

"Hmm? Oh of course! This is a naturalist club after all!" replied their guide as he went over to another set of double doors, swaying his hips a little to emphasise the point. Judas quickly turned away, only to see Nicky's smug grin plastered on her face.

"Like you said, in Zootopia anyone can be anything," she purred, "And these mammals? They be naked!"

"Nangi and her yoga class are just on the other side of the pleasure pool, let me show you two the way," explained the yak as he stepped through the double door. Judas looked up to see a sight that shattered his innocent country bunny upbringing. Mammals of all different species and size were scattered around everywhere, and every single one of them was completely naked!

"Does this make you feel uncomfortable Bunny Boy? Because, if so, there's no shame in turning back," Nicole teased the traumatised rabbit.

"Yes. There. Is," Judas took a deep breath and stepped into the garden, following their guide while trying to keep his eyes averted from everyone at once.

"That's the spirit!" Nicky chucked to herself. This rabbit was nothing if not persistent!

"Oh, I'm Yax by the way," the larger mammal introduced himself to Judas as he caught up, "and I've been running this paradise for nearly 20 years now," he gestured to the surrounding enclosed garden with both arms. Judas instinctively looked up to where Yax was pointing, and instantly regretted it.

First there was the pleasure pool that Yax had mentioned earlier, full of naked mammals jumping around, tossing a big beach ball around. He quickly diverted his gaze, but was now confronted by a group of bears scratching their backs against some palm trees, giving the poor country rabbit a _very_ clear view of themselves that he wished he could burn out of his memory. In fact, everywhere he looked, he saw something else that chipped away at his innocence, and left him feeling dirty inside. Over there was a panther grooming her leg with her tongue, and then there was the giraffe bending over to drink from a fountain, and so on. Judas' ears were on fire and he felt like he was blushing so much that his fur would match Nicky's bright red coat.

"Yeah, some people think that the naturalist life is weird," Yax was explaining as they walked through the garden, Judas trying to keep his eyes averted from everyone and everything. "But you know what I say is weird? _Clothes_ on _animals_! I mean we've got all this natural fir right?" Judas made a small grunt of agreement, not trusting himself to speak. He would much prefer to see all that natural fir covered by some clothes. He glanced back at Nicole to see how she was holding up and was quite surprised to see that it didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Here's Nangi's yoga class. 'Cause Nangi's an elephant she'll totally remember everything." Judas gritted his teeth and looked up to see an Indian Elephant wearing nothing but several henna tattoos leading a class of mixed mammals through a variety of yoga poses, each as exposing as the last. He tried his best to hide his embarrassment and keep eye contact, but it certainly wasn't easy.

"Hey Nangi!" Yax called up to the elephant, "These little dudes want to ask you some questions about Emmitt the otter."

"Who?" she responded, her accent showing through.

"You know, Emmitt Otterton, been coming to your yoga class for, like, six years now."

"I have no memory of this beaver."

"Um, he's an otter actually," Judas interrupted, trying to focus on Nangi's face, not the way she kept contorting herself into so many different _interesting_ positions.

"Yeah, he was here a coupl'a Wednesday's ago, remember?"

"No."

"Yeah, he was wearing a green cable knit sweater vest, and a new pair of corduroy slacks. Oh and a paisley tie, sweet Windsor knot. Real tight. Remember that Nangi?" Halfway through Yax's description, Judas suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be taking down notes on anything that could be useful, and it was starting to look like the spaced-out yak was actually going to be his better source of information. He quickly pulled out his notepad and pen and began to furiously scribble down the description of the missing otter.

"No," Nangi replied again, sounding very bored with the one-sided conversation.

"Yeah, and we both walked him out, and he got into this big old white car with a silver trim. It needed a tune up. The third cylinder wasn't firing. Remember that Nangi?"

"No."

"Uh, you didn't happen to catch the license plate number by any chance, did you?" Judas asked the surprisingly helpful yak.

"Oh, yeah I did. It was 2-9-T-H-D-0-3," Yax rattled off, while Judas scribbled the numbers and letters down, repeating hem under his breath as he wrote them so he'd memorise them.

"Thanks so much! This is all great information!" he smiled up at the yak, forgetting for the moment that he was surrounded by naked animals.

"No problem, I told you Nangi had a mind like a steel trap. I wish I had a memory like an elephant," he sighed wistfully. Then he turned to lead the two smaller mammals out of the garden again.

"You were rather quiet that whole time, Nicky. I hope that this place didn't make _you_ too uncomfortable," Judas grinned at the fox beside him, trying to turn the tables on her for once.

"Ha! Hardly likely, Carrots! I've come here a few times myself. It really is _far_ more comfortable without any clothes on," she winked back at the startled rabbit, who was now struggling not to think of what the vixen would look like clad only in her fur. Nicky didn't help the poor rabbit out as she swished her tail seductively in Judas' face as she walked on ahead. He quickly shook his head to try and clear the unsavoury thoughts and bounded forwards to catch up to the other two.

When they reached the foyer again, and Yax closed the door to the garden, Judas finally felt like he could relax again. He had a real lead now, and all he wanted was to get moving with the investigation.

"Thank you for your help sir! It was really useful," Judas beamed up at the disheveled mammal.

"Ah, it was no problem, I'm glad I could help out. I hope you find Emmitt soon, we're all worried about him!"

"We will Yax! You can count on us!" Judas assured him. "Anyway, we must get moving now, bye!"

"Bye dudes! Come back soon, it'd be much better to get to know you properly!"

"Sure thing-" Judas replied automatically before his eyes bulged as he realised the consequence of his promise. He decided it was better to get out before he could be roped into anything concrete. He practically ran out of the front door, dragging Nicky with him by her arm.

"Well, I had a ball," Nicky announced sarcastically, removing her arm from Judas' grip. "You were welcome for the clue, and seeing how any fool can run a plate, I will take that recording and say farewell." She bent down to Judas' level and held out her paw expectantly, waiting for the young officer to fulfil his end of the bargain.

"Oh, darn it!" Judas seethed, momentarily confusing Nicky, "I'm not in the system yet! I can't run a plate," he explained. He was so frustrated with how the bureaucracy that went with working in a government organisation was inhibiting his important investigation.

"Give me the recording please," Nicky repeated, her worry starting to show through.

"What was it you just said? Any fool can run a plate?" Judas turned back to face her with a thin smirk curling the corners of his mouth. "Gee, if only there was some fool around that could run a plate!" he said dramatically.

"Come on rabbit! I did what you asked! You can't keep holding that recording over my head forever!"

"Not forever, I only have another 36 hours or so to solve the case anyway, after that you're free. But you'll be off the hook a lot quicker if you help me solve this case faster. Besides, it's not like you really did all that much in there anyway. So can _you_ run the plate or not?"

Nicky sighed, and stood up straight again. Well, she wasn't going to be getting out of this one in a hurry, so she might as well accept it and see what happened. At the very least, she'd get to have some fun teasing the naïve rabbit officer some more. "You know, I just remembered I have a friend at the DMV. I'm sure he'll be able to run it for us."

"Great. Let's get going then," Judas was all back to business again, and he jumped straight back into his patrol car. "Well? What are you waiting for? That plate's not going to run itself!" he called back to the vixen who was still standing on the footpath.

"I'm just not really looking forward to another trip in that matchbox sized car," she sighed as she squeezed in next to the rabbit. "I mean, you are _cute_ ," she smiled as she felt the bunny stiffen in anger, "but you really need to get a bigger ride. You certainly won't be picking up any does in a car like this!" she sniggered. Judas didn't answer, but instead took off sharply, the sudden jolt wiping the grin off of Nicky's face as they headed to the DMV, hoping that this case would soon be solved.

 **A.N.**

 **I hope that the extra parts I'm putting into the character's back stories is flowing nicely, and doesn't feel too tacky. If you think I should be doing more or less of that, please feel free to let me know via a review, or PM. Otherwise I hope to 'see' you all again soon with the next chapter! Until then!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**

 **Alright, so here's the next chapter, a little bit earlier than I expected this time, but it means I'm not going to get as much sleep as I'd hoped tonight! :P Oh well, I hope you enjoy this one, there's a bit more of my own deviation in here which many of you have said you liked so far. As usual feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! But now, read on!**

 _Chapter 8: Big Trouble_

It had been another uncomfortably cosy drive for the rabbit cop and his unwilling assistant as they drove across town to the Department of Mammal Vehicles to get an identification on the licence plate number. Thankfully the traffic hadn't been too heavy yet, and it was only a 20 minute drive, but the awkward silence made it feel longer for Judas, who was still trying to forget certain images he'd been exposed to at the Mystic Springs Oasis. Despite the commonly accepted rabbit stereotype, he'd never been exposed to anything at all that revealing, and frankly the experience had left him a little rattled. This career as a police officer wasn't turning out at all like he'd expected it to.

It was already early evening by the time they found a car park in the mostly full carpark at the DMV, both mammals quietly thankful for the extra personal space when they got out of the too-small car, and walked towards the front doors of the long concrete building.

"So, what did you say your friend's name was again?" Judas inquired, partly out of a need to relieve the oppressive silence, but also in order to get as much useful information as he could before going in.

"Oh, Flash? He's an, uh, old friend from high school that I keep in touch with from time to time. Don't worry Carrots, he's the fastest guy in there," Nicky smiled, "we'll have the address for that plate before you know it!"

"I really hope so," Judas replied, surprising Nicky as he opened the door for her before entering behind her, "because we're really fighting the clock here." If he'd been paying a bit more attention to her tone though, he may have been a little more wary of the vixen's assurances. In fact it wasn't until they'd walked halfway across the crowded foyer to the service desks that Judas actually noticed who was behind the counters.

"They're all _sloths!_ " he struggled to keep his voice down, but the shock at seeing everything moving in slow motion was nearly enough to make him burst a blood vessel. "I thought you said this was going to be quick!" he rounded on his companion, glaring daggers at her.

"Why officer! I thought you said that in Zootopia anyone can be anything?" she purred innocently, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Are you saying that just because he's a sloth he can't be fast?" Unable to think of a suitable comeback, Judas simply grumbled to himself in frustration and looked around to see that everything else he saw only reinforced his opinion of how the upcoming encounter was going to go. Three desks down he could see a teenage pig posing impatiently for her picture to be taken. At the next was a lioness waiting for her paperwork to be stamped. One. Agonising. Page. At. A. Time. He saw numerous other mammals waiting for various mundane tasks to be completed at a fraction of their normal speed. If there hadn't been so many other mammals there, Judas would have thought he was having a nightmare. One of those horrifying ones where time slows down and you can never move fast enough to escape your impending doom. He shivered slightly at the thought, and surreptitiously pinched himself on the leg to make sure he wasn't in fact dreaming. Unfortunately he didn't wake up. This was all too real.

"Flash, Flash, hundred yard dash! It's been too long! How've you been?" Nicky smiled as she walked up to a sloth behind a clear counter, the sign underneath informing frustrated customers that it was temporarily closed.

"Hello… Nicole. How… very… nice… to… see… you… too!" the sloth replied for at least a second or two between each word.

"Flash, I'd like you to meet my friend, uh, sorry pal I've forgotten your name," she teased the officer next to her.

"Hmmmm," Judas hummed, smiling back at the fox, letting her know that she wasn't going to get to him that easily. He turned towards the clerk and introduced himself instead, "Officer Judas Hopps. ZPD. How are you?" he rattled of automatically, pointing out his badge to try and expedite matters.

"Nice… to… meet… you… officer… Hopps. I… am … doing…-"

"Fine?" Judas interrupted, trying to save the sloth some valuable time.

"just… as… well… as… I… can," he finished off as if he didn't even hear the interruption. "What… can… I… do…-"

"Well, I was hoping that you could ru-"

"for… you…-"

"Well, I was hopi-"

"today?" Judas paused this time, not sure if the sloth was going to add anything else to his prolonged sentence. When it seemed that he wasn't going to after all, Judas made his request, trying his best to ignore the satisfied smirk on Nicky's face.

"Well, I was hoping that you'd be able to run a plate for us? See it's really important and we need it as soon as possible."

"Sure… thing. What's… the… plate…-"

"29THD03," Judas fired, smiled up at the sloth. That is until he kept speaking.

"number?" Judas frowned, but repeated the plate number again.

"2-9-T-H-D-0-3," he said a little slower this time, hoping that it wasn't too fast for the interminable mammal. And at first it seemed that it did, because he didn't move a muscle. Judas opened his mouth to ask if he was alright, before he heard a load groan coming from the office chair that Flash was seated on as the sloth slowly leaned forward to stare closer at his computer screen. He gradually raised one finger-claw and stared at the screen for several moments before he found what he was looking for and tapping the corresponding tile.

"Two." Judas nodded his encouragement, while Nicky looked on nonchalantly from the side. "Nine," Flash counted off the second number after a few more moments spent searching the screen with his eyes.

"T-H-D-0-3," Judas groaned, wanting nothing more than to jump behind the counter and type out the code himself. If he did that surely they'd be out of there much quicker?

"T."

"HD03," Judas rushed, clutching at the desk in impatience.

"H."

"D. 0. 3!" He started tugging on his ears. _"This is ridiculous!"_ he shouted in the confines of his mind.

"… D!" Flash smiled. He'd momentarily forgotten the next letter, and was quite proud that he'd remembered without having to ask for it again.

"Zero. Three," Judas gasped. _"Almost… there…"_ He was so focussed on the mammal in front of him that he failed to see the warning signs on Nicky's face.

"0."

"Three!" Judas whispered, _"Finally!"_ But just as Flash hovered his finger-claw over the screen, disaster struck.

"Hey Flash, do you wanna hear a joke?" Nicky grinned, I ignoring the look of complete horror that's he received from the impatient cop. Flash slowly raised his head to look at the vixen.

"Sure… thing."

"Noooo!" Judas protested. _"Why is she doing this?"_ Of course both other mammals ignored him.

"What do you call a three humped camel?"

"I… don't… know. What… do… you… call… a… three… humped… camel?"

"Pregnant!" Nicky laughed loudly at her bad joke. At first Judas thought that the punchline had gone over the Sloth's head, and he feared that Nicky would have to spend the next half hour explaining it. However, his fears proved unfounded. Well, mostly. Flash's eyes slowly widened, and his mouth split into an impossibly wide grin.

"Ha!... Ha!... Ha!..." he laughed enthusiastically. Well as enthusiastically as he could at his pace.

"Haha! Yes. Very funny. Now can we please-" Judas tried to redirect the conversation back to the matter at paw, but it seemed fate had other plans.

"Hey… Priscilla!" Flash called down to the next window down where a female sloth sat, all dressed in pink.

"Yes… Flash?" she asked in the same maddeningly slow pace that Flash had been using.

"Oh no! Please no!" Judas' begging fell on deaf ears again though.

"What… do… you… call… a…-"

"What do you call a three humped camel?" Judas interrupted desperately, "Pregnant! Yay, now let's please-"

"three… humped… camel?" Judas slammed his forehead into the desk in front of him. _"This is hopeless!"_ he whined to himself as he resigned himself to another protracted interaction.

* * *

In fact it was nearly two hours later when the two weary mammals exited the front doors of the DMV, long after most other mammals had left for the night, most dissatisfied with the lack of progress with their own business. Firstly, Flash had found Nicky's joke so funny that he had found it necessary to share it with several of his other co-workers, each of them finding it almost as funny as he did. Then he felt it necessary to properly introduce Nicky to Priscilla, who it turned out was his wife. Judas did notice a strange expression flash across the vixen's face at that piece of news. Some sort of a combination of surprise, joy, satisfaction, but also a hint of disappointment? He pushed the thought to the back of his mind again as he tried his best to finally get the address for the licence plate. However, with Priscilla now over, she took her time reminding Flash that he couldn't give out any address without a warrant.

At this point, even Nicky was obviously becoming impatient and tried to call in a couple of favours, but to no avail. In the end, Judas had been forced to call up the station and have Clawhauser quickly get in contact with the appropriate judge and send through a warrant to Judas' phone. But even when that was done, it still took them some tome to plough through all the legal proceedings associated with obtaining personal details for a case through the public system. But eventually they had what they wanted. The licence plate was registered to a company by the name of Tundra Town Limo Service, and they now had the address as well.

"Uggh!" Judas groaned as he looked around at the empty carpark, "It's night already."

"Heh. Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't expect it to take nearly that long. If I had I wouldn't have told that joke," Nicky chuckled tiredly. She actually did feel sorry for the delay now, and it seemed that Judas could hear her sincerity.

"Yeah, well it wasn't entirely your fault either. I just realised when I was on the phone to Ben back at the station that I could've asked him to run the plate for me," Judas grimaced, feeling more than a little stupid for the oversight. "The only thing is that Chief Bogo might've found out that I actually had a lead and taken me off the case."

"Why would he take you off the case if you found a lead?" Nicky asked in confusion as they both got into the tiny car.

"Ha! That buffalo hates my guts. He's just trying to get me fired by giving me 48 hours to solve this case. If I don't crack it, I have to resign," he explained quietly to his passenger as he pulled out of the carpark, and started heading towards one of the main arterials that would carry them to the border of Tundra Town. "What a terrible first week," he mumbled, more to himself than his companion. However, his words struck a chord with the vixen sitting beside him.

After they had been driving for a few minutes in silence, Nicky spoke up.

"I'm not sure about you Carrots, but I'm _starving!_ If you don't want me to start nibbling on one of your adorable ears, I suggest you find somewhere for us to stop for dinner," she suggested cheerfully, expecting some kind of irritated argument from the usually uptight rabbit. Instead he surprised her by letting out a loud, mirthful laugh.

"You know what?" he asked when he calmed down, still smiling, "I'm rather ravenous too. Not to mention I'm rather attached to my ears!" he sniggered, the mood in the car lightening significantly with the shared joke. "How about that one?" he pointed to a Bugga-Burger restaurant further down the street.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"I just hope you didn't 'forget' your money this time Foxy!" he grinned back at her. "Because I'm not buying for you again!"

"Why officer, I'm hurt that you'd even suggest that I'd do something so dishonest!" Nicky placed one paw over her breast, feigning offence and hurt, before losing her composure and cracking into a large grin as they pulled into the vacant parking lot out the front of the fast-food establishment. They both got out of the car and walked in to order, both feeling the best they had all day.

After receiving their orders, they found a clean table off to one side of the dining area and sat down with their meals. Judas had gone for one of the herbivore menu items, a salad wrap and a side of fries, while Nicky had ordered the Beetle Baguette, with a side deep fried crickets. Both had coffee to drink. As they began to eat, Judas couldn't help but notice Nicky's teeth as she tore into her meal. They weren't the first set of predator teeth that he had seen up close, but the sight of them still caused a small part of him want to flee in fear. Instead, he forced himself to stay and focus on his own meal, and not on the vixen in front of him.

"So you said that Flash was a friend from school right?" he asked, more for the sake of conversation than anything else.

"Uh, yeah. We had a few classes together," she replied cautiously around her baguette.

"Hmmm. You know I couldn't help but notice the way you looked at him when he mentioned Priscilla was his wife. You almost looked disappointed," he commented coolly. He smiled as he was rewarded with the sound of Nicky choking on her food.

"I did not!" she spluttered as she regained her composure.

"Cut it out Nicky. I'm a cop, I'm meant to notice these sort of things," he smiled warmly. "Come on, what really happened between you?"

"We, um, well… we dated for a month or so back in school," she mumbled.

"Haha! I thought it was something like that," Judas laughed, "But I must admit I'm a bit surprised that you'd date a sloth. I mean, you hardly strike me as someone who'd like to spend an hour just saying hello!"

"Hmmph!" Nicky snorted, smiling thinly at the rabbit. "Well, I thought he'd be a nice change of pace from all the other boys at school who just wanted to date girls to get in their beds. Besides, he was actually quite charming when you took the _time_ to get to know him!" They both laughed at that.

"I guess he would be the slow and steady type at least," Judas said munching on some fries.

"Well, that's what I thought at first too," Nicky explained, taking a slurp from her coffee, "however, we'd only been dating for just over a month, which means we'd gone on a grand total of four dates, before he asked me to marry him!" Judas exploded in a fit of coughing and spluttering as he choked on his mouthful of food, earning him a satisfied smirk from the calm fox in front of him

"He did _WHAT?_ " Judas gasped in shock when he caught his breath.

"He asked me to marry him. At seventeen," Nicky repeated, calmly taking tossing a few fried crickets into her mouth, relishing the taste almost as much as the expression on Judas' face. "You see," she explained with her mouth full, "Because sloths take so long with their day-to-day lives, they have to compress everything else down so that they have time to do more than just eat, sleep and work. So it actually kind of makes sense for them to have a really short courtship. Otherwise if they took the same amount of time that other mammals tend to, they'd be too old to raise a family by the time they decided to get married." She said it so matter-of-factly, that Judas did have to admit that it made sense. Besides, he knew many rabbits, some of his siblings even, that had had short courtships before tying the knot, but even those had generally been at least three or four months. And they had gone on way more than just a few dates.

"What did you say to him?" he asked, but only received an amused eye-rolling from the fox. "Well, apart from no, _obviously_ ," he clarified in annoyance.

"I just said that I wasn't really ready for that sort of commitment, and that maybe he should find someone else who would be better suited to him. He seemed to get over it pretty quickly for a sloth. Three months later, after the school year had finished, I heard that he'd gotten married to some other sloth, Priscilla I guess. It just brought up some old memories tonight when I met her."

"Do you regret it?"

"Saying no? Definitely not! You're right when you say that I'm not the kind of mammal that wants to take all day just having a chat about the weather, but it does sometimes make me think if I'll ever find someone that'll make me as happy as Priscilla and Flash are." Both mammals turned back to finish their food in silence, enjoying the companionship that had started to develop between them.

As they picked up their empty trays, depositing their rubbish in the bins and the trays on top, Nicky turned to Judas, a smirk on her face again. "So what about you Officer Fluff? Any special doe waiting for you at home?"

"Hah!" he laughed, trying to hide the blush that was creeping into his ears at the thought by walking ahead, "I never really had all that much time for girls when I was younger. I was too busy training for the academy. Besides, the few girls I was interested in all scoffed at me when I said I wanted to be a police officer. None of them thought I'd be able to make it, and so I didn't waste my time with them," he explained with a hint of bitterness. They got into the car, and made their way onto the road again.

"But here you are," Nicky stated simply.

"For now at least," Judas added darkly.

"But why a cop?" Nicky asked suddenly. "I mean, it's not exactly the easiest, or safest of jobs for all the larger mammals, let alone for a rabbit. Aren't there many other jobs that you would've been better suited to?"

"Pfft! You know, I'm starting to get more than a little tired of everybody telling me that it's too hard or too dangerous for a rabbit to become a police officer!" Judas retorted sharply, but regretted his outburst when he noticed the grimace of guilt flash across Nicky's face. "Sorry, you didn't mean it that way. It's just, you know, so frustrating when everyone tries to tell you what you can and can't be. Why can't I be the one that decides my own future? Why should I accept what someone else says is and isn't possible?"

"Because some things just aren't possible for some mammals Judas," Nicky sighed as she stared out of the open side of the car. "There are some things that mammals like us can't do. And maybe being a cop is one of them. See, the real world is not some fairy-tale where you sing a little song, wish upon a star, or whatever and your dreams come true. In the real world, if those in charge don't like you, or your dreams for whatever reason, they'll come along and grind them into the dust. And you along with them," she spat bitterly, staring off into the distance.

"I don't believe that for one second!" Judas said confidently, much more confidently than he actually felt. "The way I see it, the world is made up of individuals. Of people. If just a few more people had the guts and perseverance to try and follow their dreams, even if they don't always make it, then the world would already be a much better place. If more people followed their dreams, they would be more accepting of others trying to follow their own. They'd be more willing to see past differences and see that deep down we are _all_ the same. We are _all_ mammals trying to make our way in this world. We are _all_ mammals looking for love, acceptance and joy in those around us."

"Perhaps…" Nicky mumbled, looking at the rabbit sitting next to her with a newfound sense of respect. She wasn't really convinced, but he certainly sounded like he believed what he was saying. She turned back to the open side of the car and noticed with a shiver that it was snowing. They'd entered Tundra Town.

* * *

"Ughh! It's locked!" Judas grunted in frustration, dropping the chain from his paws and stepping away from the tall fence.

"Well, what did you expect? It's after eleven!" Nicky snapped, sounding angrier than she actually felt. She was just feeling cold and tired. It had been a much longer day than she had originally expected.

"I don't know! I guess I wasn't really thinking about it too much," Judas replied sheepishly. "I was just so focussed on the case that I didn't even consider that they might be closed." He sighed as he turned back to the car where Nicky was waiting, "I just guess we'll have to come back early in the morning and hope that we find something quickly."

" _We?_ Listen, Carrots, I've tagged along with you all day long, _helping_ you with this case of yours. It's late, and I'm cold and tired. What makes you think I'm coming back tomorrow? I don't owe you anything more!"

"We wouldn't have _been_ this late if it wasn't for you and your _stupid_ joke at the DMV!" Judas retorted angrily. What was with this fox? She could be so selfish at times!

"Who even got you that licence plate number? Oh that's right! _Me!_ You wouldn't have gotten anywhere without me _rabbit!_ " Nicky spat, expecting Judas to fire back some insulting comment about how foxes couldn't be trusted to fulfil their promises. Instead, she was surprised to see his ears droop down in response to her last remark, and his eyes shift away from hers.

"You're right," he mumbled, causing her ears to perk up in confusion. This was not the response she'd expected from the energised rabbit. "You have been a great help, and I've been pretty ungrateful about it all," he said quietly, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out the recording device he'd used on her earlier in the day. "Here you go, I guess you've done enough already. Thanks." He deposited the little box in her paw, ignoring the stunned look on her face. He turned back to face the closed car depot. "I'll just wait here until they open in the morning so I don't lose any time at all," he mumbled to himself resigned to a cold and uncomfortable few hours.

His sulking was interrupted however by the sound of clanking chains and light grunting, he whirled around to see Nicky climbing over the high fence of the compound. "What are you doing!" he hissed at her.

"I thought that'd be pretty obvious, Carrots. I'm climbing the fence, she grinned as she crested the top, before dropping nimbly to the snow on the other side. "I'm not going to wait around all night in the cold for this place to open in the morning."

"But you said… I thought… We don't even have a warrant!" Judas stammered, still shocked at the vixen's sudden change in behaviour.

"You may need a warrant Officer Fluff, but I'm just a shifty con-mammal. I don't need a warrant to take a look around. And I'm not going to leave until I've at least had a look at this stupid car we've been chasing all afternoon!" she chuckled, turning to look at the cars arrayed in front of her. She started towards the closest one, and stooped to wipe the snow off the number plate to read it. "Nope, not this one," she muttered to herself, before standing up and finding herself nose to nose with the rabbit officer once again. "How did you-"

"I'm a rabbit remember?" Judas grinned smugly, proud to have surprised Nicky again. "Some of those stereotypes are there for a reason!" he joked, brushing some dirt and snow off his shoulder. Nicky looked past him to see a fresh hole dug under the fence, and quickly put two and two together.

"Hah! Okay then, but what about needing a warrant?" she asked crossing her arms in amusement.

"Hmmm. Well, I'm pretty sure I saw a _shifty_ low-life climbing the fence, which gives me probable cause. And that means I don't need a warrant after all," he smirked back.

"Sly Bunny!" Nicky laughed as she went back to searching the cars for the right one. Judas split off and started circling through the parked cars as well. After a few minutes of quiet searching, he finally found the one he was looking for.

"Hey Nicky! Over here!" he called out. "This is the one," he explained when she jogged over, her breath condensing in thick clouds around her. She nodded in response, grabbing the door handle and tugging on it hopefully. To her surprise, it was unlocked, and opened easily.

"Will you look at that! These mammals must be very trusting leaving the limos unlocked at night!" she commented to the bunny who was opening the driver's side door across from her. However, his attention seemed to be more occupied with something in the foot-well.

"This looks like polar bear fur," he announced, lifting a small tuft of white fur with a pair of tweezers to show the fox, before putting it carefully into a plastic evidence bag. Nicky bit back a retort about how surprising it was for a polar bear to be driving a limo in Tundra Town, instead, she opened the glove box.

"Oh no!" she gasped.

"What! What is it?" Judas asked quickly.

"The velvety pipes of Jerry Vole!" Nicky laughed at Judas' desperate reaction to her little prank. He huffed his annoyance and went back to examining the interior of the cabin. "But on CD. Who still uses CDs? Nicky asked quietly, more to herself than the officer. If she was being honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she was actually rather enjoying the investigation now. Climbing further into the car to escape the cutting wind outside, she looked through the small window between the driving cabin, and the luxurious passenger compartment. Except it looked anything other than luxurious at the moment. "Uh, Carrots? You're probably going to want to get a look at this," she called out softly. Something in her tone told Judas that she was not joking around this time, and he quickly jumped up to her side to peer through the window.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" he whispered, ignoring the amused glance that Nicky shot his way at his curse. He was too busy taking in the horror scene in front of him. The compartment was totally wrecked. The seats, doors, floor and even the roof were all covered in gashes and claw marks. One of the seats had all of the foam filling pulled out of it and strewn all over the floor. A set of expensive looking crystal glasses were also lying all over the floor. _"The only thing missing is a dismembered body and then this would be a scene straight from a horror film!"_ Judas thought quietly to himself as he clambered through the window into the ruined compartment.

"If your missing otter was here, he had a really bad day," Nicky commented dryly as she followed Judas through the narrow opening, all sense of mocking completely gone from her voice now.

"What's that?" Judas pointed to something lying on the floor with the flashlight on his phone. He bent over to retrieve it, revealing a slim leather wallet. Opening it confirmed his suspicions. It was indeed Emmitt Otterton's. His smiling picture staring back at the two mammals as they struggled to piece together what could've possibly happened to him. "Poor guy," Judas muttered, looking around at all the claw marks and shivering with the thoughts of what could've happened to the missing otter.

As Judas continued to look closer at all the damage to the compartment, Nicky bent down to retrieve one of the crystal glasses. However, when she turned it over in her paw to see the engraving on the other side, she dropped it as if she'd been burned. "Oh no. Carrots? We need to get out of here right now!" she gasped, quickly retrieving the fallen glasses from the floor and replacing them neatly in their holder in the side of the door.

"Why? This is a crime scene! We can't leave here now after we finally have a solid lead!"

"It's about to be a much bigger crime scene if we don't get out of here straight away!" she turned to face the rookie officer, panic evident in her eyes.

"What's wrong? What did you see?" Judas asked, his voice rising slightly in response to Nicky's reaction.

"Fancy whiskey glasses? Ratpac music? Flash limo? I know who owns this joint, if he finds me here, I'm done for!"

"Who owns this car? And what did you do?" Nicky's panic was becoming contagious, and Judas was struggling to keep himself from bolting to the door.

"His name's Mr. Big, one of the most feared crime bosses of all Tundra Town, and he does NOT like me very much, so we need to _GO!_ " and with that she reached for the door handle behind Judas, and tried to push the officer out with her. However, the door was opened for her and she nearly fell out in her rush into the waiting arms of two massive polar bears. Neither of which looked very friendly.

"Arghh!" Nicky yelped in surprise, quickly trying to recover her composure. "Raymond! Kevin! What a surprise!" she chuckled nervously. "Long time no see huh? You're both looking great this evening!" she smiled, desperately trying to conceive of a plan of escape. Judas just looked dumfounded up at the towering brutes who stared down at them, clearly unimpressed by Nicky's attempt at smooth-talking. "Look, talking about no-see, how about you forgot you saw me?" she asked hopefully. But to no avail. Raymond and Kevin glanced at each other, and then reached down and quickly plucked both of the smaller mammals straight off the floor and carried them off to their own waiting limo, almost crushing them in their huge paws as they did so.

"Oh man! We are in real big trouble now!" Nicky managed to gasp out to the bunny being carried next to her. Judas could only grunt in agreement as he tried to breathe through his heavily constricted chest. _"Big trouble indeed!"_ Judas thought in dismay to himself as the two intruders were sandwiched in the backseat of the limo between the two huge polar bears. The tyres squealed on the ice as the driver took off down the cold dark road.

 **A.N.**

 **Well, it looks like things are finally heating up for put favourite duo. I wonder how things are going to go with Mr Big? Anyway, goodnight from me, and I'll hopefully have the next chapter for you before too long!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello again everyone! I had hoped to get this chapter out a bit earlier than I have seeing as I had a week off from classes, but you know how life goes right? More distractions than you can keep up with! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's got a lot of dialogue in it, so I hope it doesn't get to dry. Please let me know what you think! Enjoy! :)**

 _Chapter 9. A Chilly Reception_

All was silent in the back seat of the limo as Judas and Nicky sat ramrod straight, packed like sardines between the two massive polar bears that had abducted them. Neither wanted to utter a single word, both knowing that they were in serious trouble. So they sat in silence, and waited. And waited…

One of the bears coughed loudly, startling both the smaller mammals, who thought something was finally going to happen. But nothing did…

Nicky sneezed.

The other polar bear shifted to find a more comfortable position.

Judas yawned nervously.

The driver stopped at a red light, again startling the unwilling passengers.

The first polar bear, Raymond, pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his photos, chuckling occasionally at the more humorous memories. Judas glanced at the screen out of the corner of his eye. From what he could see, there was nothing funny about any one of them, especially the selfies the bear had taken with his 'guests'. Some of the pictures were incriminating enough that Judas would have usually been trying to arrest the large predator. However, for some reason he didn't feel very confident doing that now.

The silence stretched on, broken only occasionally by Raymond's sporadic and menacing chuckle. It was driving Judas nuts.

"Psst! Nicky!" he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, unable to endure the oppressive silence any longer.

"What, Carrots?" she responded quietly, too nervous to care if their guards could hear them or not.

"What did you do to this Mr. Big to make him hate you so much?"

"We, uh, we had something of a falling out," she offered weakly.

"A falling out? Come on Nicky, you gotta tell me more than that! I _need_ to know what we're walking into!"

"Fine," she sighed. "Long story short, I used to work for Mr. Big. I was… something of a broker," she smiled weakly at the officer, letting him realise that what she had been doing hadn't been strictly legal. "We worked well together for a while, but then we had a few minor disagreements. Well, minor at first. And then he did something rather _inconsiderate_ to me and in my anger and stupidity, I decided to try and get even, in my own way. So I may have given him a rug," she winced.

"A rug? What's wrong with-"

"It was made from the fur of a skunk's butt."

Judas mouth dropped open in shock. _"Made from what?"_ he thought in disbelief, _"How could she be so stupid!"_ Instead of saying what was running through his head, he just cursed angrily "Sweet cheese and crackers! We're seriously in the deep end now!"

"Hehe, more than you know, Carrots. More than you know!" she chuckled morbidly, earning her a glare from the rabbit. But before he could ask what she meant by the insinuation, he felt the car slow down and take a sharp turn. He looked out of the window to see them approaching a large, isolated mansion. The lawns covered in a thick, flawless sheet of soft white, and warm firelight spilling from the many windows. It would have looked inviting and cosy, if it weren't for the armed polar bear guards standing at the entrance gate. She could see more roaming the grounds, and even some armed arctic wolves prowling around, sniffing at anything that seemed out of place. _"No,"_ he decided privately as they drove up the driveway, _"this is definitely not an inviting place at all!"_

* * *

The two interlopers had been dragged unceremoniously out of the limo and through a maze of rooms and corridors in the massive residence. It had clearly been built with medium to large mammals in mind, and left the two frightened guests feeling even more insignificant and intimidated. Now they were standing in a smaller office, with both of their guards who were clearly waiting for their boss to arrive. Judas glanced around, the thought of his potentially approaching demise not dampening his natural curiosity. It was cold in the room, something he'd noticed immediately upon entering. In fact, the stone floors and walls even had snow and ice piled up in the corners, and icicles hanging down the bookcases that lined the walls. A sturdy oak desk sat in the centre of the room with an empty chair sitting behind it. The room was lit by candles burning brightly on the desk, the bookcases and in wall mountings. A small woven rug looked slightly out of place in the centre of the stone floor, but Judas stood on it gratefully as it shielded his unprotected paws from the icy cold stone.

Finally, the waiting was brought to an end as another large polar bear entered through a different door to the one that Judas and Nicky had been brought in by.

"Is that Mr. Big?" Judas asked Nicky in a nervous whisper.

"No. Shhh!" Nicky hushed Judas, fear written clearly all over her face as she madly scrambled through her thoughts, trying to think of some way she escape the horrible situation she was in.

"Is that him?" Judas asked again as the first polar bear was followed by another, larger one. He had an ugly scar running down the left side of his face from just under his eye to his jaw.

"No!"

"That _must_ be him!" Judas decided as another, even larger polar bear squeezed through the too-small doorframe. This one's head was nearly scraping the ceiling of the study and he walked in slowly and regally, paws clutched firmly together in front of himself. He had an air of command and authority about him that was impossible to ignore. His eyes were dark and brooding, and when he looked at Judas, he felt his stomach drop, and his knees started shaking. He'd never felt this intimidated before, not even when he was younger and still being bullied by Gideon. The bear sat down in the chair behind the desk across from Nicky and Judas, placing his paws, still clasped together, carefully onto the dark surface. But instead of opening his mouth to pronounce doom upon the two smaller mammals in front of him, he opened his paws instead to reveal a tiny, mahogany and leather upholstered chair. He spun it around to reveal an arctic shrew in a classic cut dinner suit.

"Mr. Big! This is all a huge misunder-"

"Hmmm" the shrew interrupted Nicky mid-sentence. Remembering some obscure protocol, Nicky rushed forward to place a tender kiss upon the tiny diamond ring the small mammal held out on his paw. Judas just looked on in confusion. _"That's Mr. Big?!"_ Judas thought to himself in astonishment, wondering how it was possible for such a small mammal to inspire so much fear in others.

"Mr. Big, sir! How are you? It's been such a long time! I see-" Nicky began again, this time trying her best to sound confident and genuinely interested in the shrew's wellbeing.

"I told you never to show your face around here again Nicky, and yet here you are. In my house. On the night my daughter is to be married." Mr. Big finally spoke, his voice deeper than Judas expected, the sonorous tones sending a shiver up the officer's spine.

"Well, actually, we were brought here against our will, so it's not really our fault…" she trailed off, chuckling nervously as she caught the irritated look on the shrew's snout. "Anyway, my point is, I didn't know it was your car, aaaand I certainly didn't know that your daughter was getting married! How is darling Fru Fru?" she asked excitedly, although Judas could tell by the fear in her eyes that she was trying desperately to get on the crime boss' good side.

"I trusted you Nicky. I welcomed you into my home and my family. We broke bread, and ate together. Gandma-ma even made you her cannoli," Judas' eyes followed the shrew's outstretched arm to a portrait of an older female shrew on the wall. She shared the same fur coloration pattern as Mr. Big, only greyed with age, yet a fire still burned within her gaze. Judas figured he would not like to get on her bad side. Nicky's gaze however, fell at the mention of Mr. Big's mother. When Judas turned back, he saw genuine sadness in the vixen's eyes. "And how did you repay our generosity?" the shrew continued, "With disrespect, disloyalty and dishonesty. And with a rug, made from the butt of a skunk. A skunk-butt rug." Mr. big shook his head in disappointment. "You disrespected me, my family, and most of all, you disrespected my Grandma-ma, who I buried in that skunk-butt rug." This last statement left Judas even more confused than before. Why would he bury his mother in a rug that had offended him so much? Things were starting to get pretty strange.

"I told you never to show your face around here again! And yet I find you here, snooping around with this, what are you anyway?" he turned towards Judas, seemingly noticing him for the first time. "Some kind of performer? I mean, what's with the costume?"

"Sir!" Judas huffed indignantly, "I am a c-"

"A clown!" Nicky jumped in, cutting Judas off mid-word. "He's a clown for children's parties. You know, he dresses up and _pretends_ to be something _he's not_!" she assured Mr. Big, eyeballing the confused rabbit.

"No! I am a cop. Officer Judas Hopps with the ZPD," Judas snapped, glaring at the fox, who responded by burying her face in her paw. Mr. Big didn't even seem to react to the news, so Judas kept pressing forward. "I'm on the Emmitt Otterton case, and all my evidence puts him in _your_ car before he disappeared. I don't know what you did to that poor otter, but I am going to find out _if it's the last thing I do!_ " Judas slowly leaned in closer to the diminutive crime boss as he spoke, almost spitting the last few words. Nicky was mildly surprised he was actually kind of intimidating.

However, it didn't seem that Mr. Big was at all intimidated, even with the much larger cop just millimetres in front of his face. Instead a smile slowly spread up his muzzle. "Well then, I have only one favour to ask," he smiled, "say 'hello' to Grandma-ma! Ice 'em!" At his last command, the polar bear guard standing behind the two prisoners grabbed both startled animals by the scruff of their necks.

"Woah! What? What do you mean?" Judas struggled in the grasp of the polar bear, his feet dangling well above the floor.

"Wait! No!" Nicky yipped, clawing out to grip the desk, trying to prevent being pulled into the air by the guard, but to no avail. "I didn't see anything! I won't tell anyone anything!" she was panicking now, leaving deep gouges in the surface of the desk as she was dragged backwards.

"And you never will," assured the shrew, leaning back in his chair smugly to watch the show unfold before him. With both the bunny and the fox now dangling from the grasp of one of the guards, another stepped forward and flicked aside the rug that they had been standing on moments ago to reveal a wooden trapdoor set into the floor. The same guard, smiling cruelly at the helpless mammals, lifted it clear to reveal a hole into an icy, underground river. Judas suddenly had a very clear idea of what 'Ice 'em!' meant, and understood right then why Nicky had been so terrified of Mr. Big. As he looked down to the swift, ice-filled, water beneath his feet, a cold hand of fear reached up to clutch at his heart, freezing any thought of escape in his mind.

"Please Mr. Big! I'll do anything! Please! I'll even-" Nicky blabbered desperately.

"Oh Da-ddy! It's time for our dance!" The sudden introduction of the high-pitch voice surprised everyone in the room, halting all proceedings instantly. A younger, female shrew, dressed in a long, white, frilly wedding dress was placed onto the desk by a younger polar bear who had quietly entered the room unnoticed. She sauntered over to Mr. Big, who was apparently her father, twirling in her dress as she reached him to emphasis her point about dancing. It was only then she seemed to notice the other mammals in the room. "Dad! I thought we agreed, no icing anybody at my wedding?" she whined, clearly disappointed.

"I have to baby. Daddy has to this time," he explained, his voice hinting at some level of remorse for breaking his word to his daughter. Not so much about killing two mammals though. He gestured for his guards to continue.

"Wait!" the young bride interrupted, "Is that you Nicky?"

"Uh, yeah. Hi Fru Fru. Long time, no see right?" Nicky chuckled nervously.

"Not long enough after what you did! But I still don't want to see you get iced, why don't you let her go Daddy?"

"I can't sweetheart. She's helping this cop out, and she's been snooping around my business after closing, that can only mean one thing. She's trying to betray us even further!"

"No! I'm not! I swear! I'm only helping this cop because he forced me to, and I had no idea it would lead to you! Please, _please_ , don't ice me!" Nicky pled desperately. Judas however was quite angry to note that nobody even seemed to be considering letting him go safely. His fate seemed a forgone conclusion. He shot an angry glare over at the vixen, and was just about to demand what she planned to do about him getting iced, even if she was let off, when another new voice entered the room.

"Fru Fru, honey? What's the problem?" Another shrew, a young male dressed in a suave tuxedo, and presumably the groom, was lowered onto the desk by yet another polar bear.

"Oh, I just came to get Daddy for our dance, and found him about to ice these two mammals. I was trying to convince him to let the fox go because she used to be a friend. Well that is until she-"

"Wait a second. Don't I know you from somewhere?" the groom suddenly asked Judas, cutting off his bride mid-ramble. He walked to the edge of the desk for a better look at the rabbit. "Oh my goodness! It _is_ you! This is the mammal who saved my life yesterday!" he exclaimed, turning back to his bride and father-in-law. "You know, the one who caught the falling building on his feet, and then pushed it back up? He risked his own life to save mine and may others!" The groom turned back to face the surprised young officer. Judas had almost forgotten about yesterday's drama in the whole rush of the Emmitt Otterton case.

"Are you really the bunny that saved Anthony yesterday?" Mr. Big asked incredulously, staring at the rabbit in surprise and appreciation. And he wasn't the only one staring. In fact, every mammal in the room had turned their heads to gape at the small officer. Nicky in particular looked shocked to hear that a bunny had managed to save lives within his first week on the job.

"Um, yes," Judas mumbled, finally recognising the groom as the shrew that had been right next to him when he'd caught the building.

"Not only me Dad," the Anthony grinned, "he saved dozens of mammals when he caught that building! It's been all over the news in Little Rodentia last night and today, there's even a call for him to receive a medal of commendation!"

"Is that so?" Mr. Big mused, then signalled for his guards to put the bunny and fox down safely on the floor. The guard who'd opened the trapdoor looked particularly disappointed. "Well, it wouldn't do for me to dispose of the Hero of Little Rodentia would it now?" he smiled thinly, but sincerely. Judas was almost feeling even more uncomfortable with the sudden praise than when he had been moments from his death.

"I-I'm no hero sir, I was just doing my job," he dismissed nervously, still aware of their precarious position.

"Nonsense! You have done me and my family a valuable service Judas Hopps!" Mr. Big smiled, "Without you, my dear daughter would be attending the funeral of her mate, rather than marrying him. For this I am extremely grateful. You will always be welcome in my house!" he declared magnanimously. "That is," he added more ominously, "as long as you're not bringing with any 'work friends' with you."

"Why would I need to sir?" Judas grinned, starting to feel more confident now that things were on safer footing, "I haven't got any evidence of anything untoward happening here, and I doubt I ever will." Mr. Big smiled in response, glad to see that the rabbit had grasped the terms of the agreement so quickly. He beckoned the rabbit to lean down to him, then leaned forward himself to place an air-kiss on the rabbit's left cheek, startling him at first, before he remembered he'd seen mammals do this in mafia movies as a sign of friendship. He quickly moved to reciprocate, by placing an air-kiss on the other side of the shrew's muzzle. He leaned back, smugly taking in the look of astonishment on Nicky's gaping face.

"Ooooh! Isn't this wonderful!" Fru Fru jumped up, clapping her paws in excitement. "Everything's fine now, so let's go back to the wedding. You two can both join us of course!"

"Why thank you, Fru Fru!" Judas smiled, "We'd love to celebrate with you! Come on Nicky, let's not keep the newly-weds from their celebrations!" he smirked back at the still-stunned fox, and started to walk out, following the polar bears who had picked up the three shrews and were carrying them back to the festivities.

Nicky stood there for a moment longer, blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to come to terms with the sudden flip in circumstance. _"Is this all real? Or am I already dead?"_ she asked herself. Her internal ruminations were suddenly interrupted by Raymond, the cruellest of Mr. Big's guards bumping her from behind.

"Move it," he growled, clearly still disappointed that he'd missed icing the two mammals tonight, "or I might find some reason to get you iced after all!" Nicky didn't need any more encouragement than that, and she fairly fled after the rest of the mammals that were disappearing down the end of the corridor.

* * *

"So anyway, there we were, just walking down the street after picking up our suits, when all of a sudden I heard Robert here squeal like a girl, and run off!" everyone laughed at the embarrassed grooms-shrew, before Anthony continued. "That was when everyone else started screaming and scrambling for cover. I had no clue what was going on, and so I looked up in time to see this building tipping over towards me."

"But why didn't _you_ run when you saw what was happening?" Judas asked the groom. He and Nicky were sitting at the edge of a large round table with a pavilion and other smaller tables set on top of it for all the smaller guests. The Bridal party were seated at a raised table near the edge, putting them at roughly the same level as their two larger guests. They were in a dimly lit, large hall, well furnished with expensive carpets, and wall tapestries. Two massive fire places blazed at opposite ends of the hall, suffusing the room with a comfortable warmth. Several suited polar bears stood guard in a loose ring several paces back from the table, ready to ferry guests around if needed.

"Heh heh," Anthony chuckled self-consciously, "well, I guess I was too scared to move, if I'm to be honest. If it hadn't been for you, I'd be nothing more than a smear on the pavement now. So thank you again Judas"

"We're both in your debt Judes," Fru Fru spoke up, taking her husband's paw in both of hers, "If there's anything you ever need, please let us know, and we'll do whatever we can to help."

"Thank you, I might take you up on that someday," Judas smiled.

"Yes, yes, that's all good, but can we please get on with the story?" Everyone turned to look at Nicky in surprise at her sudden outburst. "What? Anthony was telling a great story, and I still want to hear how this _cute_ , little bunny managed to stop a building falling over!" she sneered jokingly at the rabbit beside her in an attempt to regain some level of respect. Judas just huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, so where was I? Oh right. So there I was, watching this great big brick monstrosity rushing up to make a shrew-cake out of me, when all of a sudden, it stopped. Dead. I looked around to see this rabbit here, in his torn up uniform, laying on his back, holding up the building with his feet! I couldn't believe it! One second I was sure I was going to die, the next this guy," he patted Judas on the shoulder, "was yelling at me to get out while he risked his life to save mine and everyone else's! I've never seen anyone do something so selfless!"

By now, Judas was blushing furiously, staring intently at his miniscule place setting, feeling his ears burning brightly. He glanced to his right, expecting to see Nicky laughing at his reaction, instead he was surprised to see her staring intently at Anthony as he continued his story.

"After I had gotten out of the way, I expected him to try and crawl out from under the building somehow, but no! He started _pushing_! I thought it was impressive that he'd managed to catch the building, but it was nothing compared to seeing him right that building all by himself! It must've weight a hundred times his own weight!"

"But it wasn't anywhere near that much!" Judas protested, "It was more like-"

"Sush!" Nicky clamped her paw over the stunned rabbit's muzzle, "You're ruining a great story!" everyone laughed at this, even Judas after Nicky freed his mouth.

"Anyway, after He'd put the building back where it belonged, he raced after the stupid weasel that had caused all the trouble. I heard that you caught him right? With the fake doughnut from the top of Maxy's Diner right?" Judas nodded the affirmative, preferring not to interrupt this time. "When you left, I went into the building to check for injuries and such, but the worst we found was one elderly rat lady with a broken arm. She and a few others were taken to hospital, but they'll all be fine within a few weeks."

"I'm glad that nobody was seriously hurt though. I did feel guilty later on that I hadn't checked to see if anyone was hurt or not, but I got so distracted with chasing down leads for the Emmitt Otterton case."

"Ah, yes. Emmitt Otterton," Mr. Big spoke up from where he had been quietly listening to the story being told by his new son-in-law. "You did say that was why you were interested in my car. Tell me, what did he do?"

"Do? He didn't really do anything. He's been missing now for over a week. We've been able to track him to getting into your car two Wednesdays ago, but that's as far as we got before we were, um, invited here." Judas explained, avoiding mention of the exact method of their arrival at the Big mansion.

"Yes, that's right. I sent my limo to pick him up then. Emmitt was my florist, and he was coming over to discuss final arrangements for tonight actually," Mr. Big explained to Judas and Nicky's interest as a waiter brought around slices of wedding cake for all the guests at the table. The cake, whilst large slices for all the rodents, was pitifully small for both the rabbit and fox. Still, they politely ate their portions using the tiny forks provided.

"Mmmm! This is really good!" Nicky licked her lips in appreciation, but quickly shut her mouth when Mr. Big shot her an angry scowl for interrupting. It seemed that while he accepted Judas, he was yet to forgive Nicky her transgressions.

"As I was saying," he continued, turning back to face Judas, "he was my florist, and so I sent my driver to pick him up. But on their way over, he suddenly went crazy. He tore up the inside of my car, and attacked my driver! He then escaped out of one of the windows and disappeared. I haven't seen or heard from him since. I had to get another florist in last minute to get all the arrangements complete in time."

"Otterton attacked your driver? That's interesting. Can I speak to your driver? I need to find out what he knows directly."

"Certainly, he lives over in the rainforest district. His name's Manchas. But I'm afraid you can't go tonight, you'll have to wait until morning. Don't worry, we have enough room for you to stay the night here, and then you can leave in the morning."

"Thank you very much, sir. I really appreciate all you've given us." In truth, Judas wanted to just leave already so that he could get on with the case. He was really starting to run low on time. He had to find Emmitt by mid-afternoon tomorrow, of he would lose his job.

* * *

"And this is where you'll be staying tonight," directed a younger, suited polar bear, as he opened a door to a large bedroom.

"Both of us?" Judas asked in confusion.

"Due to all the guests staying over for the wedding, we only had one room available. My apologies for any inconvenience," their guide explained. "There are a few items of clothing on the bed that should fit you well enough to sleep in. If you place your dirty clothes outside the door, they will be cleaned and returned for you before morning. Any other questions?" Both smaller mammals shook their heads. "Very well, goodnight then." With that, the bear turned smartly and disappeared down the corridor. Judas and Nicky looked at each other for a moment, before entering their shared room.

The bed was huge, obviously being made for a polar bear, and had several pairs of clothes on it that should fit them. An ensuite bathroom opened up on the left side of the room, complete with shower and automatic fur dryer. On the opposite side of the room, a glass door opened up to an outdoor balcony, several floors above the ground. The lights of the city centre were clearly visible, and quite entrancing, Judas had to admit. This was clearly a very nice bedroom suite, and he felt privileged to be staying here for the night. The bed itself was almost the size of his entire apartment!

"Well, I don't know how you managed it, Carrots, but you saved both our tails tonight, so thank you."

"Humpf. Well I'm still not really sure I understand it either, but I'm not going to question it. Especially as we're still stuck in the house of a crime boss. Anyway, why don't you use the bathroom first to freshen up, then I'll use it after you. You can have the bed, I'll take the floor."

"Pfft! Don't be ridiculous, Carrots! The bed's more than big enough for both of us. Besides, it's going to get really cold in here soon, once the heating goes off. That is, unless you're scared of the Big Bad Fox!" she smirked.

"Of course I'm not scared of you! I just… I didn't… Hmmm! I thought it would just be more appropriate for me to give you the bed and sleep on the floor!"

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Nicky laughed at the blushing rabbit. "Don't worry, I won't try anything _scandalous_ with you while we sleep. _Together_."

"Humpf! For that, I'm taking the shower first!" Judas grabbed his small pile of clothes off the bed and stormed into the bathroom, shutting the door on the cackling fox.

* * *

Judas was laying on the far edge of the bed, still wide awake, when Nicky returned from her shower. She smiled as she took in his tense form, almost, falling out of the bed.

"You know, you'll never get any sleep if you don't relax. You're making me stiff just looking at you!" she joked, slipping comfortably between the covers. He didn't answer, but just shifted ever so slightly towards the centre of the bed, and tried to loosen his limbs somewhat. Nicky sighed. She didn't _really_ care if the rabbit got a good night sleep she told herself, but he did manage to keep them both alive after all. "Did you want to hear about why Mr. Big and I had our falling out?" she asked, hoping to engage him in some conversation to put his mind at rest.

"Um, yeah. I guess so."

"Well, first things first. I met the Bigs during a con actually. I was pretending to be a fancy furdresser, but of course I'd never achieved the necessary qualifications. I was booked in to come here for Fru Fru and her grandmother who were going to some function or another. They were quite impressed with my work, but eventually Mr. Big found out that I had faked all my qualifications. Instead of getting mad at me, he was actually impressed at my skills, and after a few months of doing other, small jobs for him, I became one of his trusted associates." Nicky glanced over to look at Judas who was now turned towards her, his ears perked up in interest.

"I would go around town, and to other districts to meet with supply mammals, and customers to arrange deals. I was able to talk myself into, and out of, almost any situation, and that greatly impressed Mr. Big. Most of the time, the deals I made were pretty mundane, car parts, expensive furniture, you get the idea. Illegal? Yes. Dangerous? No. I'd made it pretty clear that I wasn't interested in working with anything that would get people hurt. And for the most part, Mr. Big accepted that." She sighed again, then fell silent for a time.

"For the most part?" Judas asked tentatively. Nicky smiled, she had his interest now.

"Yes. For the most part. After about two years of this, Mr. Big asked me to broker a deal for a shipment of drugs. Up until this point, I'd pretended I didn't know anything about that aspect of his business. As long as he didn't ask me to deal with any of that stuff, I was fine. However, his usual mammal had been arrested recently, and he needed someone else to take his position. So he asked me. Long story short, I messed up, and the deal went south. Instead the payload ended up in the paws of a rival family. To say Mr. Big was angry with me would be a huge understatement, he almost had me iced right then."

"Why didn't he then? He doesn't seem like the kind of mammal that tolerates failure easily."

"Ha! Indeed he doesn't, Carrots. I actually have dear old Grandma-ma to thank for that. She insisted that I be given a second chance after all that I had done for the family. So over the next few months I kept my nose down and worked hard to get back in my boss' good graces. At least all the jobs he gave me were fairly small, so I didn't have to worry about whether what I was doing would be hurting anybody or not. After a while, I seemed to have regained his trust again, and he sent me off to secure a deal for several luxury cars with a millionaire. The only problem was that the millionaire was a total jerk, as so many rich mammals are. He insisted on sorting out the details of the deal over a private dinner. Eventually, after I'd turned down his many crude advancements, he grabbed me and tried to force himself on me." Nicky again turned to look at the young officer beside her.

"He didn't!" Judas growled, anger and outrage plainly showing on his face.

"Yeah, unfortunately he did. Unfortunately for him that is. As it was a private dinner, I managed to knock him out with the wine bottle from the meal without anybody else coming in. After that, I called Mr. Big to let him know that the customer was trying to make me sleep with him to seal the deal, but instead of sending someone over to pick me up, he told me that I had to do whatever was necessary to seal the deal! The nerve!" she growled deep in her chest, remembering the incident and the phone call.

"So, I sealed the deal in my own way. I shaved his tail and backside," she smiled at the small gasp the rabbit let out. "Oh yes, did I forget to mention that the prick was a skunk?" she smirked.

"When he came to, I told him that he had to accept the terms of the deal if he didn't want to see his butt-fur flying from the flagpole at city hall. He quickly signed the contract, and I left, fur in tow. When I next saw Mr. Big, I presented him with both the signed contract, and a lovely fur rug. He was quite pleased. And Grandma-ma took a great liking to the rug. However, when the millionaire skunk came over to finalise the deal and saw the rug, he complained to Mr. Big. Again, Grandma-ma saved me from being iced, but Mr. Big was furious, and kicked me out. He warned me that if I ever turned up here again, even Grandma-ma would be unable to save me. That was the last time I saw him, nearly three years ago now."

"Wow," was all Judas could say. It was quite the story, and it certainly explained a lot about why she had been so frightened of being caught.

"Heh, yeah. Wow indeed," Nicky smiled. Her story had seemed to have had the desired effect, the rabbit was well and truly relaxed now, and actually seemed to be struggling to stay awake. She was feeling rather tired herself actually. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I might get some sleep now. It's been a really long day, and I have a feeling that we're going to be having quite an early start in the morning."

"Oh. Sure thing Nicky," Judas yawned, suddenly realising how tired he was, and how comfortable the bed was. "Sleep well."

"You too, Carrots," Nicky replied, both mammals turning their backs to each other before allowing themselves to fall asleep. Judas' last thoughts were of the vixen's story, and how he was finally starting to get to understand her better. He smiled remembering back to after he had first met her, thinking that he'd like to get to know her as a friend. It certainly seemed that was what was finally happening after all. He closed his eyes and drifted off, the sound of the fox snoring gently, lulling him to sleep.

 **A.N.**

 **Now I'm coming to the real business end of my semester at Uni (my first exam is only a month away, and I am so not ready!), so please don't be surprised if updates are a little less frequent, because once I am done, things will be a bit more regular seeing as I was able to write the majority of this chapter in one evening, and I won't have a whole lot else to do. So please stick with me!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter! Sorry again for the long delay, but as I said last time, Uni has been pretty hectic over the last few weeks and I haven't really had a lot of spare time. However, classes have just finished for the year, so I thought I'd try and pump out this chapter before I got too stuck into exam study and revision. Just a quick note on this chapter, I know many of you have preferred it when I've taken more artistic license with the scenes and made them my own, but I found that rather difficult with this chapter as I really enjoyed the chase scene in the movie, and I didn't want to loose any of that vibe here. I only hope that some of that rush and thrill come through in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this one!**

 _Chapter 10: A Savage Encounter_

Judas woke slowly. That in itself was unusual, he was usually awake in a heartbeat, leaping out of bed ready to start his day early and full of energy. His groggy mind began to pick out other things that were out of place. The mattress, for one, was too soft and comfortable. His mattress was much stiffer than this. The sheets too, were much softer. There was no scratchiness to them, in fact they felt like silk. He was also warm. Very warm, but in a comfortable way. Usually when he woke up, the night air had chilled the room enough that he had to get moving quickly to stay comfortable. One last thing he noticed was odd. He could hear someone else breathing nearby. He wasn't sleeping alone.

Judas snapped his eyes open as his fuzzy mind finally made that last connection. He was met with a confusing mass of orange and white. He couldn't work out what he was seeing at first until the mass shifted. He blinked rapidly several times to clear the sleep from his eyes until the mass resolved itself into the shape of a sleeping fox. _"What the…?"_ he asked himself in confusion, his mind now racing to reassemble the pieces of his memory from the day before. It all started to click together again. _Hustling Nicky into helping him track down the missing otter, being tricked in turn into visiting the naturalist club. The torturous delay at the DMV with Flash the sloth, the late night dinner on their way to Tundra Town where they'd then been abducted by a couple of polar bears. Almost being thrown into an icy river, but being invited to the wedding of the daughter of a notorious crime boss instead._ His eyes widened now in understanding. _Whose house they were still in. Him and Nicky._ His nose twitched, and he started breathing faster. _Sharing a bed. Lying nose to nose. Close enough to-_

Nicky yawned, opening her maw wide, right in front of Judas, giving him an all too close look at all of her sharp, long, white teeth. Teeth that in another time would have happily made short work of a small bunny like him. He flinched. He hadn't meant to. It had been completely instinctive, but he had still flinched away. And Nicky noticed.

"What's wrong fluff?" she asked, opening her bright emerald eyes to meet his. Despite being rimmed with sleep, and slightly bloodshot, they still sparkled with her irritating wit. "You scared I'm thinking of having myself a midnight snack?"

"Wha- No! I just… I didn't… I'm sorry… It was-" Judas stumbled, sitting upright, trying to come up with some reason for his actions that wouldn't insult her further.

"Don't stress so much, Carrots!" Nicky cut him off. "It was just instinct," she said softly, her eyes darting down for a moment, before bouncing up to meet his again, but now with their regular glint to them. "After all, it was rather unexpected, and we were _really_ close. In fact, how do I know that you weren't trying something _scandalous_ yourself before I woke up," she smirked at the half angry-half embarrassed bunny sitting in front of her. "Perhaps you were trying to sneak a kiss from this sleeping beauty here?" she placed a paw on her chest, expecting to fluster the rabbit even further. What she wasn't expecting was the pillow that came flying out of nowhere to knock that infuriating grin off her muzzle. Quite literally.

" _Kiss_ you!? Kiss _you_? Why would I be trying to kiss you? You insufferable fox! I barely know you!" Judas was walking across the room already to collect their freshly laundered clothes from outside the door. However, Nicky noticed that his voice was missing the edge of anger and indignation she had noticed yesterday whenever she had insulted him.

" _At least he seems to be learning to take a joke,"_ she thought to herself. Although his words still left her feeling somewhat put off though. She wasn't quite sure why though, she had been called many worse things than insufferable before. Before she could dwell on it any more though, Judas passed her clean clothes to her.

"Come on, time to get ready for the new day, 'Sleeping Beauty'," he said sarcastically, "we're on the clock now, time to chase down this lead."

"But it's only five thirty in the morning!" she protested, a little shocked to see that he was serious.

"And?"

"It's too early! We could still sleep for at least another hour or two!"

"Oh come on! It's not that early at all. This is when I usually get up for work anyway, besides, like I said, we haven't got long left before I lose this case…" he trailed off towards the end, realising that if they didn't crack the case today he would lose his job. His dream. Nicky seemed to sense some of his worry, because instead of arguing further, she sighed, sat up, and then took her clothes into the bathroom to get changed. Judas swore he could hear her muttering something about insufferable, impatient bunnies. He smiled. At least they were up and moving. It was a new day after all, perhaps they'd finally have their big break. He turned and quickly dressed himself while he waited for the vixen to return.

* * *

As Nicky had pointed out to him, it was still quite early, so Judas was surprised to see that downstairs was already quite busy when they emerged into the same dining hall as the previous night. Several large tables were already occupied with house staff and bulky security guards enjoying a hearty breakfast. He had wanted to get going as soon as he possibly could, but Nicky was not having a bar of that. As soon as she saw all the food on offer, she walked straight to a table, grabbed a plate and began piling it with scrambled eggs, fried tomato, toast, and pretty much everything else she could get her paws on. Judas sighed, _"So much for an early start,"_ he thought bitterly. But his mood mellowed as soon as he saw the baskets of fresh fruit, and the selection of cereals on offer. His stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him that he too was in need of a good meal before he could continue investigating. Following his friend's example, he grabbed a bowl, filled it with muesli, fruit and soy milk before sitting down to enjoy a few minutes of peace before the day began in earnest.

They ate in silence, watching as mammals came and went about their business. It appeared to be quite a large and busy household to have so many staff, although, many of them were probably involved in the more shady side of the family business, explaining why there were so many large predators around. As they both finished up their meals, a grey furred wolf walked over to them.

"Good morning," he greeted them, "I see you're up early!"

"Yeah, we've got a very busy day ahead of us today," Judas replied carefully, wondering who this wolf was and what his intentions were.

"Yes, Mr. Big said that you probably wanted to get moving as soon as you could, so he instructed me to drive you back to your car when you were ready," he smiled. Judas quickly realised what was going on. Mr. Big still wasn't comfortable with a police officer in his house, even though Judas had saved his son-in-law's life and Mr. Big had offered his paw in friendship. He didn't mind the thought too much though. Truth be told, he didn't feel very comfortable in the crime boss' lair, and he knew Nicky would be more than happy to get out of there as soon as she could.

"We're ready now," he said, grabbing an apple off the centre of the table as he stood up, catching Nicky's eye and a quick nod in confirmation. "Let's go."

* * *

The wolf, who had never introduced himself, drove them quietly back to the parking lot they had broken into the previous night before being captured. Although the ride was far more comfortable than it had been going the other way only a few hours ago, neither of the passengers felt like breaking the silence. Instead, they stared out of the windows at the dark clouds, and heavily falling snow.

It was shortly after six when they stood alone again, watching the wolf driving back up the road, disappearing into the pre-dawn gloom, while snow fell steadily, blanketing everything in fresh powder.

"Well, Carrots, I don't know about you, but the sooner we're out of here, the better! I'm freezing my tail off out here!"

"We can't have that!" Judas snickered, imagining the vixen missing her tail, and finding the concept quite entertaining. "It's just too _cute_ and _fluffy_! You'd never be able to get any Tod's attention without it!"

"Har har bunny. Let's just get a move on," Nicky rolled her eyes as she hugged her arms to herself to keep warm, and shaking off some of the snow that had accumulated on her head and shoulders

"Alright then, let's go!" Judas smiled brightly, hopping into the driver's seat and turned the engine over, pleased when it started straight away. "Come on! What are you waiting for?" Nicky rolled her eyes at the overenthusiastic rabbit, before clambering up into the tiny cabin, squeezing close to Judas to do so.

"Whatever Carrots, just try not to get us killed while we're driving there," she quipped, earning a disgruntled huff from the rabbit as he took off, spinning the wheels on the icy road with the sudden acceleration, causing Nicky's smirk to widen further.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything, Fluff."

"You were thinking it, so don't." Nicky just leant back, and mimed a zipping action across her smiling muzzle. Judas just frowned and continued driving towards the mountain range that separated the Rainforest District from Tundra Town.

* * *

By the time they had made it through the connecting tunnel underneath the mountains, and had arrived at the address Mr. Big had given them, the snow had long since become a constant, warm, rain, the clouded sky prolonging the night longer than usual.

Unfortunately for the two investigators, Manchas lived several levels up in the canopy, and they had to park on the ground and climb up to the appropriate level by foot. By the time they reached the right level, they were both dripping wet, the rain rolling off their fur, and down their skin. Nicky's mood was similarly dampened.

"Ugghh. Now I remember why I don't come to the Rainforest District," Nicky groaned as they stepped onto a rickety wooden bridge. "This humidity is so uncomfortable, and it makes my tail go all frizzy!"

"Well, at least it's not freezing off anymore."

"True." They both quieted down as they approached the door built into the trunk of the artificial canopy-scraper in front of them. The trunk was wreathed in thick, living vines, and moss grew on the old wooden door, adding to the illusion that the tree was natural, and not the steel and concrete structure it really was. They both stepped up to the front door, and sharing a silent glance, Judas rang the doorbell.

Nothing. Judas rang it again after waiting a moment. Still no response. He frowned. "Mr Manchas? I'm Officer Hopps from the ZPD!" he called through the closed door. "We just want to talk to you about what happened to Emmitt Otterton!" Finally, his ears picked up movement inside.

The door finally creaked open as far as the chain lock allowed. Both smaller mammals peered into the gloomy interior, trying to see in. A single, large green eye emerged from the darkness first, followed by the rest of a black furred panther, dressed simply in a white singlet top, and grey slacks. "You should be asking what happened to me!" the panther, whom they assumed must be Mr Manchas, growled a deep voice, pointing at his right eye.

"Woah! Wait?" Nicky exclaimed, "You mean that a little otter did _that_?" she asked, staring at the panther's swollen shut eye. Three jagged claw marks raked down from above his eyebrow to his cheek. They looked slightly infected, not surprising considering the environment they were in.

"Sir, can you please let us in so you can tell us what exactly happened between you and Otterton?" Judas spoke up to the large predator.

"You want to know what happened? I'll tell you what happened! He was an animal! I was sent to pick him up for a meeting with my boss, but while I was driving he suddenly went nuts! Down on all fours, tearing up the car! I looked back to see what he was doing before he leaped up and did this!" he pointed again to his damaged face, pain and anger evident in his voice as he continued. "I swerved off the road and tried to get out of the car as fast as possible before he scrambled up onto the roof and disappeared off into the night. He was a savage!"

"Did he say or do anything first before he went 'savage' that might indicate what happened?" Judas asked, intrigued with the unusual story.

"Not that- Oh yes! He kept yelling about the Night Howlers! The Night Howlers!" Manchas replied, drawing out the last word into a semi-howl of its own. He seemed to be getting rather agitated now, reliving the event.

"Mr. Manchas, why don't you let us in so we can help you out properly?" Judas asked again. He was getting sick of standing in the rain, and he wanted to see if there was anything else they might be able to learn. But this request only seemed to frighten Manchas more, he started glancing about, left and right, a wild glint in his eyes. Nicky decided it was time for her to step in.

"Look Manchas, we're here to help. See, we know about the Night Howlers too." This earned her a confused look from the rabbit officer, but she ignored him, and continued speaking to the large predator. "We just want to hear what you know about them, then we'll tell you what we know. After that, we can make sure that nobody else knows what you've told us. You'll be completely safe. After all, what could go wrong when you've got a police officer with you?" she indicated the rabbit to her left. Judas, who by now had realised that Nicky was trying to smooth talk them inside smiled and nodded reassuringly.

"O-okay then," agreed the panther, still not looking entirely satisfied with the tiny police officer, but willing to take the chance. He closed the door, and the two mammals looked at each other smugly.

"Clever fox," Judas smiled warmly. Nicky just chuckled happily while they heard the chain lock being disengaged. However, a sudden crash of shattered glass inside, followed by a pained groan caught their attention.

"What was that?" Nicky wondered aloud, Judas just shrugged, pushing the now unlocked door open to see if Manchas needed help. The sight that met their eyes, however, froze them in their tracks. Inside the dark room, Mr. Manchas was hunched over, writhing on the floor gasping and groaning for breath. His shoulders were heaving with the deep, shaky breaths, and his paws were scrabbling along the floor, claws extended, leaving long gouges in the floorboards. But even as they watched, his breathing returned to normal, and he seemed to calm down, but he remained on the floor.

"Mr. Manchas, are you o-" Judas started to ask, taking a step towards the afflicted panther. However, as soon as he spoke, Manchas head snapped around towards the sound, nose sniffing wildly. Judas and Nicky were shocked at the expression on his face now. Gone was the fearful, worried demeanour, in its place was a fierce snarl, showing off the predator's mouthful of long, sharp fangs. He eyes had also narrowed to slits, both wide open now, ignoring the swelling around the clawed one. He snarled once, and lifted his forepaw to approach them.

"Run," Judas said quietly, not wanting to startle the jaguar into action prematurely. Nicky didn't need to be told twice. Both animals turned tail and sprinted out the open door, back into the rain just as Manchas pounced towards where they had been seconds before. They didn't need to look back to see if he was following them, his snarls and roars followed them as they ran onto the rope bridge they had crossed moments before, motivating them to run faster.

"What the hell's wrong with him!?" shouted Nicky, glancing back to see the panther leap for the bridge that they were on.

"I don't know! But whatever it is- Woah!" Judas' reply was transformed into a cry of panic as he was catapulted into the air by the bridge. A similar yelp escaped Nicky as well. Evidently, when Manchas had landed on the bridge, he'd caused it to buckle, and flick the fleeing mammal high into the air. Fortunately, they both landed back on the unstable bridge, rather than falling through the canopy, however, it wasn't long before Manchas was right behind them, and they still hadn't reached the other end of the bridge. Judas couldn't see anywhere to go.

"Over the side!" Nicky yelled, quickly climbing the rope railing. Judas looked at her dumfounded for a fraction of a second. "Do it!" Nicky snapped, galvanising the bunny into action. He jumped forward, and grabbed a hold of the railing to his left simultaneously, the resultant torque spinning him over the side of the bridge. As he fell, he caught a glimpse of the wild jaguar leaping through the space he'd occupied only moments ago. He didn't fall far before he found himself landing heavily on an overgrown, mossy tree branch, Nicky just in front of him. They didn't waste any time, but again kept running forwards, grateful for the few seconds the move had bought them when Manchas dropped down behind them.

They dashed forwards, the jaguar again gaining on them despite the slippery surface on which they were trying to run. After all, it was his natural habitat, but his prey were out of their element. A hollow log up ahead, caught Judas's eye as he searched frantically for anyway to escape, or at least buy them more time. The adrenaline coursing through his blood driving his thoughts faster than ever before.

"In there!" he shouted, pointing out the log to Nicky. She simply nodded, too breathless to reply. They scrambled in, again, not a moment too soon, as the jaguar pounced again, his frustrated snarls letting them know that they'd just won themselves a few more precious seconds. Seconds Judas used to do what he'd been unable to earlier. Call for backup.

* * *

Back at the ZPD headquarters, Benjamin Clawhauser was carrying out his regular morning routine. That meant he was sitting at his desk, a bowl of half eaten 'Lucky Chomps' to one side, and a half full box of doughnuts to the other, momentarily set aside as he checked in a teenage wolf in handcuffs that one of the night shift officers had just marched in. Of course, while he was waiting for the appropriate forms to print out, he thought he might as well show off his newest app to the teenager. Surely _he_ would appreciate it, even if not many of the other officers, or civilians had so far.

"Are you familiar with Gazelle?" he asked innocently. Receiving nothing more than a non-committal shrug in return, he decided to prompt further, "You know, the Angel with horns? Greatest singer in our time?" This time the wolf gave him a small nod, confirming he did know who the cheater was gushing about. Ben held up his phone for the young wolf to see the music video playing on the screen. "Hang on, keep watching," he giggled quietly.

The video was of the popstar in question, dancing along to generic pop tunes. All of a sudden, she was joined on screen by one of her tiger backup dancers, except, with a picture of Ben's face crudely pasted over the face of the real dancer.

" _You're one hot dancer. Ben-jamin. Claw-hauser."_ Came a tinny, computerised rendering of Gazelle's voice from the phone's speaker.

"See! It's me next to her!" he squealed excitedly, missing the tortured look the young delinquent gave his arresting officer, and the understanding look he got in return. "It's not really," Clawhauser sighed mournfully. "But did it look real?" he asked desperately, before answering himself "It looks _so_ real! I wish it could be real," he frowned. Glancing to the side, a blinking red light on the radio scanner finally caught his attention. "Hang on just a sec," he excused himself, putting the phone down and pressing the receiving button on the system.

" _CLAWHAUSER!"_ a high pitched roar echoed loudly through the foyer, causing many mammals to turn their heads in confusion towards the source. Unfortunately for the cheater, he'd been right next to the explosion of sound and had jumped several feet into the air, nearly knocking his favourite pink Gazelle mug onto the floor.

"Clawhauser here!" he managed to gasp in response, "Who's this?"

" _Clawhauser, its Judas. Listen to me carefully!"_ Judas' voice came through the speaker again, not yelling anymore, but Ben could tell that something was very clearly wrong. Judas sounded out of breath, angry and even scared. That last one caused Ben to worry most, Judas wasn't the kind of rabbit to scare easily. He could also hear the sound of smashing wood, panting and snarling coming through the speaker as well. His training took over, and he automatically sent an alert over a separate intercom system to the First Responders team.

" _We have a 10-91! Jaguar gone savage! Officer in distress! Rainforest District, Vine and Tagunga!"_

" _It's pronounced Tu-hunga!"_ a separate female voice came through the speaker, someone Clauhauser didn't recognise.

"Officer Hopps, I'm sending backup right away! They'll be there soon!" he waited for a response, but didn't hear anything. "Hopps! Do you copy?" still nothing. "HOPPS!" he yelled into the speaker. When no response was forthcoming, he abandoned the two-way channel, and instead made a broadband call to all the police channels.

"This is dispatch calling all cars in the Rainforest District! Dispatch to all officers in the Rainforest District. We have a 10-91 on the corner of Vine and Tujunga. Something about a jaguar gone savage, and an officer in distress, who can get there fastest?"

* * *

"Damnit!" Judas cursed as he watched the pawheld radio plummet out of sight into the canopy below. He'd lost his footing and would've gone over too if Nicky hadn't thrown her arm out to grab his, jerking him back upright, but jarring the radio out of his paw in the process. He didn't have long to mourn the loss of the radio, the jaguar had seen them escape the log and was again chasing after them. Looking forward, Judas felt a glimmer of hope rise in his chest. "There! Head for the sky trams!" he shouted, pointing to the wooden platform hanging out into open space in front of the.

Judas and Nicky put on an extra burst of speed, the promise of escape lending them enough speed to put a few extra feet between them and their pursuer. But even still, they couldn't hope to keep up that pace for long, and by the time they reached the platform, they were slowing again. Judas chanced a glance behind to see how close Manchas was, just in time to see him leap through the air straight towards him, paws outstretched. Judas quickly ducked to the left, feeling the jaguar's claws barely scrape along one of his ears. _"Too close! Too close!"_ was all his mind could register, instincts taking over the dodging now. Scramble right. Roll left. Jump… NOW! Each time, only barely avoiding being mauled by the huge predator. Bounding forwards again to doge another swipe, Judas caught hold of a lamp post, spinning around it to redirect his momentum away from Manchas.

As soon as his feet touched the wet platform he knew he was in trouble. The water had reduced the friction of the platform to next to nothing.

"Woah! Ahhh!" Panicking, he scrabbled all four paws against the platform, trying to gain any traction with his short nails, but nothing he did could slow him down enough. He slammed hard into one of the wooden barriers, winding him as he was twisted to the side by his motion, sliding through the gap between posts. In a last ditch effort to avoid a fatal fall, he curled his left leg around one of the posts before he slid further. It was enough to stop him. Barely.

"Oh crap!" he gasped, looking down at the dark void beneath him as he swung precariously upside down. "This is _not_ how I thought today would go," he muttered darkly, trying to catch his breath, and slow his racing heart. Suddenly a voice from above reminded him that Nicky was still in danger.

"Get in Carrots!" Nicky called back, pulling open the door of one of the trams as it slowed down over the platform. "Jude? Where are you?" she turned around, searching for the bunny when he failed to respond. All she saw though was Mr. Manchas slowly stalking towards her now that she was cornered. _"Oh no! He didn't! He-he's-"_ her fear was temporarily allayed though when she heard a voice calling out over the rain.

"GO! Get out of here Nicky!" Nicky glanced over to the side of the platform where the voice came from, spotting the bedraggled rabbit struggling to climb back onto the platform. _"There's no way I'm leaving him like that!"_ she thought, letting go of the tram door without really thinking. But as she turned back to the approaching jaguar, she suddenly regretted her decision. His face, although snarling, seemed so viciously _smug_ as he padded slowly to the trapped fox.

"Haha, buddy!" she laughed nervously, falling back to her last option. Try and sweet talk her way out of this. She didn't for a second think it was going to work, but what else could she do? "One predator to another, please, just- Agghhhh!" Manchas pounced.

When she didn't feel sharp teeth and claws ripping the flesh from her body, Nicky dared to open her eyes again. She was crouched on the very tip of the platform, cowering from a death that never came. Mr. Manches was lying in a heap in the middle of the platform, just starting to stir.

"Come on!" Judas yelled, and Nicky looked up to see the grey rabbit standing behind the jaguar, his hindpaw cuffed to a lamp post, restraining him from reaching Nicky. She quickly followed the officer's directive, and edged carefully around the jaguar, who was just managing to regain his feet.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Manchas, but I'm afraid we really _must_ be going," she joked anxiously. Unfortunately for her, it seemed Manchas didn't really care for her joke as he lunged at Nicky again, sending her sprawling into Judas, and the barrier he'd just managed to climb up. However, this time the weight of two mammals slamming into it was too much for the bamboo posts, and it shattered, spilling the two screaming mammals over the edge.

Grabbing madly for anything he could, Judas managed to catch hold of the vine that had bound the posts together with one paw, and Nicky's wrist with the other. Holding tightly to each other and the vine, they swung underneath the platform and almost went vertical on the other side, before beginning their reverse swing.

"Please, Carrots! Don't let me fall!" Nicky cried out desperately, looking down at the empty sky below them. But Judas had other ideas.

"I'm going to let go!" he called as they passed through the bottom of their swing. He could already feel his paw slipping on the wet vine, and on Nicky's wet wrist. He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer anyway.

"Wait! No! What are you-Arrgggghhhh!" All of a sudden she was flying through the air again, with nothing to hold onto.

Their flight through the rain lasted both an eternity and an instant for the duo. Nicky felt certain she was about to die, and Judas was praying fervently that his harebrained scheme would actually work, and they wouldn't end up as a grey and orange splats on the ground far below.

The next thing Nicky felt was not the hard ground below as she'd feared, but vines and leaves, slapping her face, and tangling her limbs. Catching at her clothes. Slowing her down. Holding her. When she realised she wasn't going to fall to her death after all, she turned her shocked face to the rabbit beside her. He was wearing a smug, but surprised smirk on his face, and for the third time in the last 24 hours she felt what everyone else must feel like when she pulled a con over them and left with a smirk on her face. She decided it was not a situation she liked being in all that much. On the other paw, she was alive, far more than she had expected just seconds ago.

"Rabbit, you saved my life! Again!" she gasped, still trying to come to terms with the situation. She glanced back to where the slavering jaguar paced, glaring at his prey that had somehow managed to escape him.

"Ha! Well I guess that's just what we police officers are here for!" he smiled back.

"I just have two questions though."

"Hmm?"

"First, how'd you know these vines would hold us?"

"Well, I, uh. I kind of just hoped they would you know?" Judas smiled weakly.

"You _hoped_?" Nicky exclaimed.

"Hey! I didn't exactly have a lot of time to come up with a three stage plan or anything! Plus, I was about to slip anyway!" Judas snapped back. Nicky just rolled her eyes, and asked her second question.

"Secondly, how do we get down?"

"Um. Now that is actually a good question," he answered, looking around. They were nestled in a nest of vines both too high above the ground to try climbing down, and to far below the canopy-scraper above them to easily climb out. "Let's just get ourselves untangled first, then we can wait for backup to get us down.

"I guess that makes sense," Nicky replied, twisting her arm out of several vines it was trapped in. Judas had it easier. Being smaller than Nicky, he was able to wiggle his arms and torso out of the vines in a matter of moments. However, as they were too busy extracting themselves from the web of vines, neither of them heard the creaking and snapping until it was too late.

"Arrgghhh!"

"Waaahhh!"

They both yelled as the vines supporting them suddenly gave way, and they were falling for what felt like the millionth time that morning. However, the canopy was much denser at this level, and it wasn't long until they started slapping into huge leaves, and flexible branches, each absorbing some of their fall.

Again, it was vines that saved them from becoming a couple of furry puddles on the road below. They fell through a dense net of thinner vines, which pulled tight around them as they fell, but also bound them tightly to each other. Finally, their fall was arrested as the vines caught on the branches above and held fast as the bundle of fur and vines swung wildly about a few feet off the pavement.

Judas was alive, that much he knew. Somehow, he had survived yet again when by all rights he should be dead, or at least severely injured. All he had was a couple of scrapes and bruises, nothing to worry about. He cautiously opened his eyes, wary of whatever new threat should face him. He wasn't quite ready for the one that greeted him though.

A pair of bright green orbs stared right back at him, close enough that he could see his own startled reflection in them. The orbs blinked rapidly a couple of times, and Judas realised that they were Nicky's eyes. _"Sweet cheese and crackers!"_ he thought, trying to pull back, but finding that the vines were too tight for him to move far, instead he was held tight, his muzzle squished up close next to hers.

"Gee Carrots," Nicky mumbled, her speech hindered by a certain rabbit almost being squished into her jaw, "we've really gotta stop meeting like this. I don't think my life insurance covers bunny induced canopy diving." Before Judas could think of a suitable rejoinder, the sound of approaching sirens intruded, and he breathed a sigh of relief as several squad cars pulled up around them.

"Finally! Now we can get out of this mess!" he smiled, Nicky just chuckled nervously. Judas frowned, about to ask her what was wrong, but his question was answered before he could even ask it.

"Well, I'm sure this is going to be good," snorted the deep bass of Chief Bogo from behind him. Judas cringed, of course _he'd_ have to be the one to come to their rescue. At least he could finally show his stiff boss that something serious was indeed going on, and that he was making progress. All in all, despite nearly falling to their deaths several times in the last few minutes, Judas felt hopeful that things were finally going right!

 **A.N.**

 **Thanks again for reading guys, it really makes my day to see that people like what I'm writing! Unfortunately, like I said last time, I've still gt a lot on my plate at the moment with exams coming up fast, but without classes, I might be able to write up another chapter quicker than this one came out, but I make no promises! Anyway, I'll catch you all later, I need to get some sleep now!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey guys, sorry for the very long delay in uploading this chapter. I was pretty busy during my three week exam period, and whenever I had spare time I just wanted to veg out and watch Star Trek, or something else (hey, that's my nickname for a reason!). Anyway, I am now finished exams for this year and I intend to try and upload somewhat more regularly. Although I do warn you that my schedule over the summer holidays is almost as busy as my Uni schedule, so I'll write when I can. In addition to being busy, I found this chapter rather hard to write, and I'm still not quite sure if I really conveyed all the emotions that I was trying to, but I guess I'll let you all be the judge of that! So without further ado, I hope you enjoy the next installment in my story!**

 _Chapter 11:_ _Confessions_

" _Oh, cripes!"_ was all Judas could think as he stared out at the empty platform in front of him. Although the rain had finally stopped, he was dripping wet, he'd just barely escaped with his life for the second time in less than a day, and now he was somehow supposed to prove to the furious chief that he wasn't crazy. _"Why can't anything ever go right for me?"_

"What am I supposed to be seeing Hopps?" Bogo rumbled as he pushed past the statuesque rabbit.

"But… He was just here a few minutes ago! I swear!"

" _Who_ was here?"

"The savage jaguar I was telling you about! We were interviewing him about Emmitt Otterton, then when he was about to let us in, he suddenly went crazy! He started snarling and growling, then he attacked and chased us all the way from his place! We barely escaped with our lives!" Judas was starting to get hysterical as the stress of the last half hour combined with the disappointment of seeing his only lead gone, finally started to catch up to him.

"This isn't the dark ages Hopps! Mammals don't go 'savage'!" Bogo sneered as he sauntered out onto the empty tram platform, leaving Judas and the other officers to catch up.

"I'm telling you sir! Something went wrong and he, well, he just-"

"Hmmppf! I'd bet that any large aggressive, large predator looks 'savage' to a small, weak rabbit like yourself! He probably got sick of you pestering him and chased you off, then left to go back to his bed!"

"That is _not_ what happened, Sir! If you don't believe me, as a _Police Officer_ , then ask my witness!" Judas growled back, now thoroughly fed up with his superior's condescending and unprofessional behaviour.

"Ha! Her? You expect me to believe the testimony of a _fox_?!"

"A fo- Sir! What does her species have to do with anything?"

"You expect me to believe this ridiculous story about this missing otter going 'savage', followed by your key witness, who then, 'coincidentally' disappears before we can see for ourselves?" Bogo snapped at the diminutive officer. "And your _only_ witness to this whole thing is a civilian _fox_ of, let's say, 'questionable', integrity and motive! And to think you even managed to graduate the academy," he sighed in disappointment. Throughout the whole outburst, Judas kept his eyes down, not daring to look up, lest his eyes betray the anger and sadness building up, and earning him even more scorn from his chief. He sniffed quietly to himself, trying to regain control over his emotions.

"Badge."

"What?" he snapped his head back up in confusion.

"We had a deal remember? Either you find the otter, or you resign. Not only did you fail in your task, but you wasted my time, and everyone else's here, with your stunt this morning! So give me your badge," a slight curling of the buffalo's lips indicated to the rabbit that the chief was enjoying tearing him down in front of the half-dozen other officers loosely crowded around.

"But sir! If you just look around-"

"BADGE!" Bogo roared, loudly enough to leave the miserable bunny's ears ringing. He sighed, knowing that there was no way that he could possibly win this fight. He slowly raised his right paw to grasp the badge on his chest, feeling utterly defeated as he did so.

"Stop!" All heads snapped towards the sudden interruption. Nicky stepped out from behind a couple of the other officers, making sure she was noticed by everyone.

"What did you say, Fox?" Bogo leered down at her, attempting to intimidate the upstart who dared question him.

"Sorry, was that not clear enough for you? I told him to stop. He's not going to be giving you that badge," Nicky snarked back, clearly enjoying the looks of astonishment she was receiving from the assembled officers. None of them had ever seen anyone so calmly sign their own death warrant as this fox seemed to be doing.

"Oh, and why would that be, Foxy?" Bogo straightened, crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the small mammal defying him. "Who are you to be telling me what is, and what is not, going to happen? Hmm?"

"Well, let's see shall we?" she sassed as she slowly waltzed over towards the dumbstruck rabbit. "I'm the _only_ , I repeat, _only_ , one who's actually been helping Officer Hopps here with this case. You gave him a useless, _three-wheeled_ , traffic buggy and two days to solve a case that none of your best detectives have been able to solve in nearly two _weeks_! And you wonder why he had to get help from a _fox_? What else was he going to do?"

Chief Bogo opened his mouth to bellow something at the presumptuous vixen in front of him, but was cut off before he could even begin as she continued her sarcastic tirade.

"See, here's the thing Chief, your deal was that he had to find the otter in 48 hours, right? So unless you intend to renege on your word in front of all these other officers, I suggest you let us go, seeing as we still have around ten hours left," she paused a moment to give the buffalo a chance to answer, but for once he seemed completely lost for words. He was still fuming, but he didn't seem to be able to think of any suitable reply.

"So, if you'll excuse us," Nicky said sarcastically as she started guiding a gaping Judas towards an incoming sky tram, "we have a very big lead to follow, and a case to crack." She opened the door of the tram for Judas, ushering the subdued officer into the small cart. "After you, Officer," she smiled politely, and when Judas met her gaze, seeing there was absolutely no sarcasm in her face, a warmth flushed down from his face into his stomach. He smiled back at the vixen as he climbed aboard, and she followed close behind.

"Oh, and for the record," Nicky called back to the platform they were leaving behind, "Maybe you should consider that the rabbit who graduated _valedictorian_ out of a class of much larger mammals at the academy actually knows his stuff, and just _might_ be telling the truth!" She'd had to yell the last part to make sure that she was heard by those on the rapidly receding platform. Any response was lost to the distance, and so Nicky turned back with a smile on her face.

"How'd you know I graduated valedictorian?" Judas asked in confusion, knowing that he'd never mentioned that to Nicky before.

"I read it in the newspaper," she shrugged, moving to lean on the railing at the front of the carriage, staring off into the distance. The silence grew between them for a few minutes as both mammals processed what had just happened. Eventually Judas bit his lip and turned to face his companion again.

"Thanks Nicky. That was really awesome what you did back there for me. You really didn't have to, you don't owe me anything. But thanks."

"It's nothing Fluff. After all, you did save my life at least twice in the last 12 hours, so I probably do owe you something!" she smiled, but Judas noticed her eyes remained dark. She turned to stare back out into the slowly brightening morning gloom.

"It's not nothing, Nicky," Judas insisted. "Nobody else has ever actually believed in me, and to hear what you said? Well, let's just say it's a new experience for me to have someone else actually think I can do this job, or anything really, on my own."

"What about your family? I'm sure they supported you?" Nicky queried.

"Ha! I wish. For the last fifteen years my parents, and most of the rest of my family for that matter, have been trying to convince me to give up my stupid dream!" Nicky raised an eyebrow at the rabbit's sudden bitterness. "I mean, they weren't usually as crude as to put it that way, but I knew that was what they were thinking," he continued, moving over to lean on the rail next to the vixen. "'There's never been a bunny cop'. 'Rabbits just don't do that kind of thing'. 'Why not be a farmer like everyone else?'. 'You'll never make it'," he mimicked in a high pitch voice all the things he'd been told as he grew up, waving his paws around in the air. At least his re-enactment caused Nicky to giggle, and that helped to brighten his mood as well.

"Well, you showed them, didn't you," Nicky smiled back at the rabbit officer.

"Well, sort of. I got the job, but it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to keep it after all," he sighed. "Maybe Gideon and the others were right after all."

"Gideon? Who's Gideon?"

"Oh, um. He was, well, he was a bully I knew back in school," Judas mumbled, tugging on one of his ears in embarrassment.

"And what sage advice did this young bully give you?" Nicky smirked.

"Well, when I first told people that I wanted to be a cop, I was probably about nine at the time and we were doing a school play, he thought it was the stupidest idea he'd ever heard. Later that same day, I saw him stealing carnival tickets from some of my friends. I tried to get them back, but we ended up in a fight. I managed to get in a good hit or two," he smiled weakly, "but then he hit me hard and I couldn't fight back any more. He told me I'd never be anything other than a 'dumb carrot farming bunny'. And then he clawed me," he added the last bit on in a whisper, rubbing his chest absent-mindedly.

"He did _what_?" Nicky demanded, a low growl forming deep in her throat.

"He clawed me, right from here," Judas pointed up at his left shoulder, "down to here," he dragged his paw diagonally down his chest to his right hip. Nicky stared wide-eyed at the rabbit in front of her for a moment, before lunging forward and pulling his shirt up his chest.

"Wait! What are you-"

"Shh!" she instructed him irately, placing her right paw on the damp fur of his shoulder, feeling around until she felt the three ridges on his skin. Slowly, she traced them down, all the way to his hip, eyes growing wide as she felt the extent of the damage. When she had finished, she sat down on the bench seat.

"I take it that wasn't a rabbit who did that to you, was it?"

"Uh, no."

"It was a _fox_ ," she spat, surprising Judas with the vehemence in her voice.

"How'd you know that?"

"Ha! There's not many predators who's claw marks would be such a close match to mine," she held up her right paw, claws extended, for emphasis. "Well, I guess that explains a few things then," she said bitterly, starring down at her feet.

"Nicky, look at me. I'm not afraid of you. You're my friend, and I really appreciate that. You wouldn't do something like this!"

Nicky snorted in response, "Whether I would or not doesn't really matter. I'm a _fox_ , and that's all that matters to some mammals. And that's not made any easier when you have foxes going out and doing _that_ to someone else!" she gestured at Judas' now covered chest. Judas had no response to that. He knew she was right, one only had to have heard Chief Bogo a few minutes ago to know that was the truth.

"I mean, sure, I've lived up to, or rather down to, the fox stereotype myself plenty of times. But it's not like I ever wanted to hurt anybody, besides, nobody ever gave me a chance to do otherwise!" Judas turned to look at the vixen again, but she seemed to be off in her own world, staring off blankly into space. After a few moments, she sighed softly.

"I wasn't always a sarcastic, con-vixen you know," she began softly, "once, I was a bright-eyed, naive little kit. My mother always used to tell me that I could be anything I wanted when I grew up," she snorted bitterly. "Rather ironic when you consider that she was stuck working as a barmaid, and never managed to get anything better! Anyway, at the time I believed her. I was too young to notice the way other mammals looked down on us just because we were foxes. It wasn't I was about 12 or 13 when I first really understood that I was different just because of what I was born as."

* * *

Nicky was feeling the happiest she'd been in years. She pranced around her room to the music crackling from her bedside radio. Well, it was more like twirling on the spot, her room wasn't really big enough to prance about in. It barely had room for a bed and a chest of drawers for her clothes. But the teen fox didn't need much else in her room, so she didn't mind. Swishing her tail in time to her favourite song by the Backstreet Tods, 'I Want it That Way', she rummaged through her drawers, pulling out different clothes, and throwing most of them carelessly onto a growing pile on her bed. Finally she pulled out a pair of old denim jeans, so worn and faded that they looked like that was how they were actually designed, _"They'll work!"_ she thought to herself happily, then pulled out a light pink shirt that would match close enough.

She quickly changed into her new outfit, then stuffed her favourite set of pyjamas, sleeping bag, pillow and some toiletries into her overnight bag. Pausing at the door, she quickly surveyed her now chaotic room, to see if she'd forgotten anything, before dashing downstairs in a rush.

"I'm ready to go now Mom!" Nicky called out to her mother who was in the kitchen fixing herself a mug of coffee, only recently having gotten out of bed, despite it already being mid-afternoon. That was the price she paid for having to work such late shifts at the bar.

"My, aren't you looking pretty today honey!" Vanessa Wilde smiled down at her daughter, "But isn't it a little early to be heading off to a sleepover?"

"Awww, Mom! Stephanie said I could come over any time after four, and it's just past the hour!" Vanessa chuckled happily, taking a sip from her mug, the strong brew sending warmth and energy coursing right down to the tip of her tail. Nicky looked so adorable, standing in the middle of the room, bag clutched tightly in her paws, staring up at her, green eyes wide as saucers, and ears pressed back against her head in eagerness. She chuckled again.

"Don't worry, we'll head off soon, but first, why don't you let me brush your tail? Your fur's all ruffled!"

"Oh, okay then Mom," Nicky sighed softly, "but just a quick brush please?"

"Of course sweetie." They both walked over to the worn, tartan patterned couch and sat down. Vanessa grabbed the brush off the wooden coffee table, and started brushing the fur on her daughter's tail back into place. She worked in silence, observing how her fidgeting, jittery daughter slowly calmed down and relaxed as the grooming continued. When she felt Nicky was suitably calmed, she set the brush aside and pulled her kit into her arms.

"I'm so glad you've finally made some friends, hon. I know it's been tough here without your father, but you've been such a great girl and I love you so much! You deserve so much more than I can hope to give you, but I know that you're meant for greater things, and I can't wait to see what you become!" She gently nuzzled her daughter's cheek.

"Thanks Mom. I love you heaps too you know!"

"I know," Vanessa replied softly. "Anyway, I think we can get going now! We wouldn't want you to be late to your first sleep over would we?" she smirked, grabbing her keys and downing the last of her lukewarm coffee, while Nicky dashed over to where she'd left her bag, bouncing with energy once again. Vanessa snickered to herself again at the sight, _"Oh to be young again!"_ she thought wistfully.

* * *

Scarcely twenty minutes later, Nicky was knocking on the front door of a large, two storey house. It was a solidly built stone construction with imposing walls, surrounded by large, well-kept gardens on all sides. Nicky thought it looked like a castle from the fairy tales her dad used to tell her when she was younger. The house was set back from the quiet, tidy street that was filled with other impressive houses. It was obviously a neighbourhood for the well-to-do families in the region, and Vanessa felt out of place, but tried to hide her discomfort from her daughter.

After waiting for a moment, the door was opened by a deer buck, his carefully polished antlers filling up most of the door frame above his head.

"Can I help you?" he asked curtly, eyeing the two foxes on his doorstep with partially concealed distaste.

"Hi! Mr. Fields I presume? I'm Vanessa Wilde, my daughter Nicky was invited for a sleepover with Stephanie tonight," Vanessa replied cheerfully. Her smile faltered when the buck failed to move, still watching them critically, but before she could say anything else, he turned his head back inside and called out.

"Hey Steph! Did you invite a fox to this sleepover of yours?" A sudden burst of giggling could be heard from inside.

"Oh yes!" trilled one of the giggling voices. "That would be Nicky, let her in Dad. We've been waiting for her!"

"Hmm. Seems like they're waiting for you," the buck turned to look at the younger vixen. "In you go then." He stepped to the side to let her past.

"Have fun Honey!" Vanessa called as Nicky dashed inside eagerly. "You know my number if you need me!"

"Bye Mom!" Nicky called back over her shoulder as she disappeared inside.

"Pick her up by noon tomorrow," the Mr. Fields instructed Vanessa, closing the door before she could respond. Vanessa stood still for a moment, mouth slightly agape, staring at the closed door. She sighed, and then turned around and trudged back to her car. It wasn't the first time she had received similar treatment from other mammals and she was used to it. She only hoped that the buck's prejudiced attitude wouldn't upset Nicky. The engine coughed to life and she began the drive back home to get a few minutes rest before another long shift at the bar. She sighed again, although things hadn't turned out well for her, things seemed to be looking up for her daughter at last.

* * *

Nicky walked into the large living area where all the other girls were gathered, and was a little disappointed to realise that she was the last to arrive, but she shrugged the feeling aside and greeted everyone enthusiastically.

"Hey Nicky! Why don't you put your stuff down there," Stephanie pointed to a corner of the room which was filled with the other six girls' bags. "We were just about to go outside to practise for the cheerleading tryouts next year."

"That sounds great!" Nicky beamed. Most of the girls in the year level were looking forward to the tryouts next year, the first year that they'd be allowed to be on the team. Nicky didn't really expected that she would get a place on the team, usually places were filled by older girls, but one or two of the places sometimes went to younger girls. That didn't stop almost all of the girls from trying though. And that meant Nicky would try too, even if just to fit in with everyone else.

The group of eight girls practiced outside until dinnertime. They performed somersaults, flips, cartwheels, and even attempted throwing one of the smaller girls up into the air before catching her again a few times. It was clear that Stephanie, and Claire, an otter, were two of the more graceful and capable girls. Much of the time was spent watching those two try to outdo one another while the other girls oohed and aahed from the side. Nicky did well enough she thought. She had some natural grace and a little bit of talent for the tricks, but she hadn't really practiced much before, and her tight jeans prevented her from moving quite the way she needed to. By the time dinner was ready, all of the girls were tired and hungry, but also feeling exhilarated, chattering away about all the different stunts they had performed and how they were _sure_ to be picked for the cheerleading team next year. Nicky followed the others inside to the dining room where the table was filled with pizzas, garlic bread, chips and soft drinks. Squealing with delight, the famished girls dove into the feast laid out before them.

After all the girls had stuffed themselves they went back to the living room filled with all of their bags and set up their bedding on mattresses that had been moved into the room. They settled back to watch a movie about a teenage doe who'd been brought up by her mean mother in a poor part of town before finding out by accident that she was actually a princess. Her 'mother' had kidnapped her at birth out of spite for the king and the movie told the story of the girl's struggle to reach her proper place in society. Nicky thought the storyline was rather shallow, but all the other girls seemed to be engrossed with it, so she tried her best to enjoy it anyway. She usually preferred mystery, or thriller movies herself.

Eventually the movie was over, and all the girls suddenly perked up. Now was the part of the night that most of them had been looking forward to all evening. Now was the time of night when they'd play 'Truth or Dare'. Several of them had been talking excitedly throughout the night already. Nicky had been looking forward to this particularly, as it was the time she felt like she would truly become part of this clique. She'd spent years struggling to fit in and make friends, but without much success. It hadn't been until just the other week when she'd finally been accepted by this group of girls. It had been quite a surprise for her actually. She had always tried to be friendly to these popular girls, asking to sit with them, helping them with homework, laughing at their jokes, and more, but they'd always responded coolly towards her. But then out of the blue, Stephanie had invited her over for this sleepover. Nicky still wasn't sure what had caused the sudden change in attitude, but she wasn't going to question it.

All the girls gathered into a circle on the mattresses, and Stephanie spoke up in a hushed, but serious tone.

"So girls, as you all know we have a new member joining our sisterhood tonight," she looked meaningfully at Nicky, "so I'll go over the rules again before we begin the initiation." At the mention of the initiation, Nicky felt a twinge of nervousness in her stomach. An initiation didn't sound like fun, but she ignored the feeling. After all, the other seven girls must have all gone through it at some point.

"Firstly, and most importantly, anything that is said and done here stays here. If you ever mention something to anyone outside of this circle, everyone else here will shun you and all of your secrets will be open for us to spread to everyone." Nicky didn't really like the terms of the rule, but there wasn't much she could do to change it. If she complained, it was likely that she'd loose this one chance at friendship with these girls, so she nodded her agreement.

"And secondly," Claire spoke up this time, "the rules of truth or dare are sacred. You can chose to pass either the truth or dare that you are asked first, but if you do, then you have to complete the second one. No matter what. And if you lie, or refuse both, then the same punishment applies as before." Again, Nicky nodded, starting to feel apprehensive.

"Alright, let's begin then!" Stephanie smiled, but something in her eyes, and the sharper giggling of the other girls increased her unease.

"Close your eyes," Brittney, a zebra, instructed, "and hold your paws out together." Nicky hesitated for a moment, before taking a deep breath and complying. Without her eyesight, she had to rely on her hearing and sense of smell more. She could smell the excitement in the room increase as she heard a couple of the girls stand up and move around. Moments later a blindfold was being tied around her eyes, and her paws were bound together with another piece of cloth. Her pulse began to race, and she shifted uncomfortably against the tight bindings.

"Trust is everything amongst us," came another voice that Nicky identified as Haley, a sleek brown horse with a gorgeous mane that she had always envied. "Without trust we are nothing. Without trust we fall apart." The whole scenario was starting to take on the feel of a ritual to Nicky, and she was growing progressively more anxious. "Trust is essential in our sisterhood, don't you agree Nicky?"

"Y-yes," she stammered in response.

"So you trust us?" Stephanie inquired, a sharp edge to her voice.

"Of course!" Nicky replied quickly, but truthfully she was thinking it was pretty hard to trust them at the moment. The next words that came out Stephanie's mouth confirmed her worst fears.

"Well, you see, that means we have a problem. We don't trust _you_!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Well, duh, stupid! You're a fox!" came one voice from the dark.

"Yeah! Everyone knows you can't trust a fox! You're born lying!"

"Your kind are always sneaking around…"

"…lying…"

"…stealing…"

"…cheating…"

The insults continued to fly thick and fast from the gang of girls now, each one stabbing into Nicole's heart like a knife. Tears began to pour from her eyes, soaking her blindfold and fur, and her sobs eliciting harsh laughter from the circle of girls surrounding her. Furious and upset, she reached up with her paws to rip the blindfold off her face, but was restrained by several pairs of hooves and paws.

"Did you really think that we would just accept _you_ and tell you all of our secrets so that you could go blabbing them to everybody you come across? Ha! Well, you certainly won't be blabbing anything anytime soon!" She clapped her hooves together, and suddenly Nicky felt something cold and heavy being pulled over her face.

"Stop! Puh-please st-stop!" she hiccoughed, struggling against the grip of her captors, trying to twist out of whatever they were pulling over her face. But the other girls were too strong, and they only laughed harder. Nicky did manage one thing though, she managed to knock loose her blindfold to finally see what her tormentors were actually doing to her. Looking down she could only see an indistinct silver blur, the light glinting off the metallic surface. _"A muzzle!"_ she cried to herself, _"They've put a muzzle on me!"_ She began thrashing about, trying to escape the clutches of the other girls, all the while sobbing hysterically.

"Hey! Hold her tight! Don't let her go!" Stephanie barked out at the ones holding Nicky, but it was a tricky task. With all the people trying to hold the squirming girl, it was inevitable that something would eventually give, and unfortunately for Nicky, her night shirt got caught on someone, and was ripped off her in the struggle. The poor girl stopped struggling and lay curled up on the floor in pain and shock, the other girls howling in laughter now, jeering at Nicky, clad only in her pants and training bra.

"Quick, take a photo!" someone laughed, and before Nicky could do anything, several cameras were whipped out of bags and the sounds of film being wound up, and photos being snapped completed the pain and humiliation for the young fox. Still sobbing hysterically, she pushed herself off the ground and grabbed her bag with her bound paws. Nobody bothered trying to stop her now, they were all rolling on the floor, clutching at their sides laughing madly, some still calling insults after her as she ran out the front door into the night.

* * *

"I ran several blocks before I stopped and managed to free myself and get rid of that muzzle, but it was extremely late by the time I found my way home," Nicky continued sadly, looking forlornly out over the morning bustle beneath them. "Mom was furious when she found out what had happened and tried to report it to police, but Stephanie and her parents denied that I'd ever been over and that any of it had ever happened. Of course nobody would believe the word of a poor vixen and her kit over that of a well-respected and influential buisnessmammal, so nothing was ever accomplished along that path. And to make matters worse, when I turned up to school the following Monday, I found that pictures of me tied up, in my underwear, and tears soaking my fur had been posted all over the school. Mom had to move me to a different school to try and protect me from those girls."

Judas' mouth hung ope in shock and anger, tears running down his own fur. He didn't know what to say to the fox beside him who had had to endure such a terrible experience.

"I learnt two harsh lessons that night," Nicky sighed softly, turning back to the rabbit standing beside her. "Firstly, that if other mammals were only going to look at me and see what they wanted to, a no-good, sneaky fox, then what was the point in ever trying to be anything else. And secondly, I learnt that the only way to win against mammals like those is to never let them see that they get to you."

"Nicky, you are anything but a no-good, sneaky fox! You've proved that to me in just one day! Look at you, you're helping this dumb bunny to solve a really important case!" he smiled thinly at her trying to lighten the mood slightly.

Nicky glanced away again, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She was wondered why she had told such a personal story to someone she barely knew. She hadn't told anybody but her mother the full story before, and she was worried it might come back to haunt her. She looked over the rail of the tram, watching the grid-locked traffic below her.

"Nicky," Judas said gently, lightly placing his paw on the vixen's arm, "I want you to know that I trust you, and I will never break the trust you've just shown me. Never."

Perhaps it was the soft warmth of his paw, or the gentle conviction in his tone, but when Nicky finally turned to look the buck in the eyes, she knew that he meant what he said. The thought gave her a great sense of comfort. Maybe here was one mammal she could finally rely on. But after a few moments, they both grew suddenly uncomfortable, and hurriedly broke contact.

"Her-hem," Judas coughed awkwardly, "Wow! It sure looks busy down there doesn't it?"

"Wha- Oh, yeah. It certainly is!" Nicky forced a chuckle, "Where's Chuck with the traffic 'copter and the Jam-Cams when you need them?"

"Haha, yeah. I'm glad we're not dow-"

"That's it!" Nicky suddenly interrupted with a triumphant bark of laughter.

"Huh? What's it?" Judas asked in confusion.

"The Jam-Cams! There are traffic cameras everywhere in the canopy!" she pointed excitedly to one they were passing at the top of a fake tree. "They run continuously and there's a great chance that they saw what happened with Mr. Manchas!"

"And more importantly where he went afterwards!" Judas exclaimed, catching on. "Great thinking Nicky!"

"There is one problem though," seeing the look of confusion on the Judas' face she explained, "Well, you're still not in the system right? And I highly doubt Chief Buffalo-Butt back there is going to let you have access to the system now."

"Hmmm," Judas thought for a moment, trying to devise a solution. "Aha! I think I have a friend at City Hall who might just be able to help us out with that one!" he proclaimed smugly.

"Oh yeah? Who is it?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, my foxy friend. You'll just have to wait and see!" he smirked.

 **A.N.**

 **Thanks again for reading! It keeps me energized to know that there are just a few of you out there that actually enjoy my ramblings. Speaking of ramblings, now that I am finally on holidays, I aim to try and start another project or two on this site soon, so keep an eye out for them! Anyway, goodbye for now, and I plan to update as soon as I can!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**

 **First things first, I'm so sorry everyone who's been waiting (and pestering!) for me to update this story! I never meant to leave such an unforgivably large break between updates, but I got a lot busier after exams finished than I expected. And then with it being summer, and Christmas time as well, I didn't really feel like sitting in my boiling bedroom typing away on my computer. Then I just got lazy. And procrastinated. Also, the few weeks I spent overseas didn't help very much either...**

 **Unfortunately, this chapter is a little bit shorter than many of my other ones as well, so I fear that this is a poor compensation, however, I didn't feel like I could add any more to this chapter without making it any worse than it already is. I'm not really all that happy with this chapter, but there was only so much I could do with three mammals staring at a computer screen, and I needed to publish something to kick me back into gear. So, without any further ado, jump in, and I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive my terrible lapse in publishing!**

 _Chapter 12: Jam Cam Justice_

"Sir! Mayor Lionheart!"

"What _now_ Bellweather?" the smartly dressed lion snapped over his shoulder as he stalked down the marble hallway towards his office, glancing through a folder in his paws. "I'm _busy_!"

"Sir," the ewe gasped again. She was struggling to catch up with the much larger predator's stride. Especially as she was currently loaded down with a stack of folders and paperwork almost as tall as herself. "Please, these are all very important documents that need your attention right away!"

"I said, I'm busy! Take care of it _Assistant Mayor_!" Lionheart growled back her as he continued to stalk towards his office. Taking another casual, disinterested glance at the folder in his paws, he turned and tossed it onto the already unsteady pile that Dawn Bellweather was struggling to hold upright. The sudden, and uneven, addition of the weight nearly sent the stack crashing to the floor. In her desperate struggle to keep everything from crashing to the floor, she barely avoided stepping on Larry Chambers, a smartly dressed mouse who also happened to be the public transport superintendent for Little Rodentia.

"Oops! Sorry, Mr. Chambers!" Dawn apologised quickly to the irate mouse. She looked up again, and saw that she'd fallen behind her boss again, so gritting her teeth, she once again rushed after him. "Sir, please! If you just take a minute to–"

"I thought I just told you to _take care of it_!" Leodore roared back, causing Dawn to jump back in surprise, nearly dropping her precarious load once again. "Oh, and clear my afternoon, I'm going out," he turned to enter his grand office, suddenly calm.

"But, Sir! You do have a meeting with Herds and Grazing–" Whatever else Dawn was going to say to the Mayor was abruptly cut off as she trotted headlong into the huge double oak door that Lionheart had slammed behind himself. Unfortunately, this in turn had the effect of finally releasing the pent-up avalanche of folders and paperwork that the Assistant Mayor had been so valiantly holding back. "Oh, mutton chops!" she swore bitterly as she bent down to begin the long process of picking everything up again. But to her surprise, another set of paws appeared beside her, and joined in retrieving the paperwork. She looked up to she Officer Hopps with a pile of newly acquired paperwork in his arms, and a pleasant smile on his face. Behind him, and to one side stood a vixen whom Dawn had never met before, who was also bending over to help pick up the mess on the floor.

"Assistant Mayor Bellweather, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we were hoping we could ask a big favour of you?" Judas asked kindly, and Dawn felt herself begin to hope that the day might not be a total loss after all.

* * *

Down in the basement of City Hall is a small room that was once occupied by spiders, dust and the occasional homeless rodent, but even these few mammals rarely stayed long, moving on because of the loud boiler, the smell of mould, or the sheer inconvenience of the location. Now that same room had a paper sign taped to the door designating it as the office of the Assistant Mayor of Zootopia. Outside the door were stacks of boxes stuffed with dusty files, all labelled 'Urgent' or 'Important'. Inside were even more boxes and filling cabinets, all full of overdue files gathering dust. Pipes crisscrossed the ceiling and the boiler coughed and spluttered sporadically. It was definitely not the kind of place that Judas and Nicky had expected when they had gone with Dawn to her office, each carrying a portion of the ewe's paperwork.

"Ah, here we are!" Dawn quipped cheerfully as she sat down in the only chair at the crowded desk and began logging into her computer. "I'll be able to access the traffic camera network for the whole city from here in a moment," she explained briefly before turning to focus on the screen again. Nicky was also focussing on the screen at first, until something extraordinarily soft and fluffy brushed along her left arm. She glanced over and realised it was part of the Assistant Mayor's wool coat. Normally she wouldn't pay any attention, especially as they were already so cramped in the tiny 'office'. Instead, she slowly reached over to pinch just the smallest bit of wool on the sheep's head.

* * *

Later on, Nicky never could really explain what came over her, and why she did what she did next. Her best excuse was that "It was the softest, fluffiest thing ever!", and that she was in "utter bliss". Whatever the reason, it was quite a weird, and slightly creepy, sight to see a grown vixen pinching, batting, and playing with the tuft of wool atop Dawn Bellweather's head. And of course, it was something Judas never her live down. Ever.

* * *

Judas watched Ms Bellweather as she typed away on her computer, opening files, applications and windows, almost as fast as his eye could follow. He was starting to wonder though, why the assistant mayor had a direct link to the traffic camera system for the whole city on her computer. It wasn't really part of her jurisdiction, and when He'd asked her about the cameras, he'd thought she'd take them to the traffic management office to view the feeds. He opened his mouth to ask her why she had this access, which he felt was a breach of security and privacy, when he was interrupted by another question from the ewe herself.

"Are you quite alright up there?" she asked, her normally bubbly tone dampened with annoyance.

"Huh?" Judas asked, confused now by the strange question. Well, that is, until he glanced at Nicky for clarification and saw her pawing at Dawn's head, a wide lazy grin spread across her muzzle. "Nicky! What do you think you're doing!" he squeaked, quite mortified at both Nicky's actions, and now the tone of his own voice.

"Hmm?" she hummed contentedly, looking over to Judas. However, the horrified expression on his face quickly snapped her back to reality. "What? What's wrong?"

"You can't just touch a sheep's wool! Don't you know how rude that is?" Judas berated her through gritted buck teeth, a sight Nicky would usually say was extra cute, but the fire in the rabbit's eyes at that moment cut out any thought of using the c-word.

"What do you mean? I'm not… oh." She looked down to where her paws were both currently tangled deeply in the mass of wool on top of Dawn's head. "Ohmygoodness!" she panicked, pulling her paws out as if they were burnt. Unfortunately, this caused poor Dawn's head to be jerked violently to the side at the same time.

"Ouch!" she bleated, "Watch it! That hurt! What were you doing with my wool anyway?" She swivelled her chair to face the vixen now that her head was free.

"Yeah, what were you doing Nicky?" Judas queried, now grinning and enjoying seeing the smarmy fox caught so off guard.

"I, uh," Nicky stammered, backing the full two inches back into the wall of filling cabinets behind her, suddenly feeling very much like cornered prey with the two mammals staring her down. "I was, er, trying to work out, um, which conditioner you use?"

"My conditioner?"

"Uh, yeah. You see, I used to be a fur dresser, and you wouldn't believe the number of mammals that were using the wrong conditioner for their fur, or wool, in your case." Nicky stood up straighter now, coming back into her element.

"Oh, um, I use 'Jumbuck' softening conditioner," Dawn answered warily.

"Ah, so that's it! That's a wheat based conditioner, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I think it is actually," Dawn smiled weakly.

"Good, good. You don't want any of that nasty, petroleum based stuff that they sell cheaply, all it does is make your wool all greasy, and clump together. Tell me, what shearers does your stylist use?"

"You know, I've never really asked. Does it make any difference?"

"Well, of course it does!" Nicky laughed, wrapping one arm around the now entranced sheep. "You see, you want to be using really sharp steel blades, and they have to be properly hardened too, so they don't blunt easily. Sharp steel blades mean that each trim is can be as precise and even as possible. It also helps to avoid all those split ends that are the bane of so many gorgeous ewes! You know, I once was styling this alpaca's fur and she–"

"Okay girls, I think we've talked enough about fur and wool and all that, can we _please_ get back to the case?" At first Judas had been impressed at how easily Nicky managed to talk herself out of what could've been a very awkward situation, but had very quickly grown tired of all the girly talk around conditioners, and the finer points of fur styling. They were on the clock, and there was no way that he was going to lose this case because of a silly discussion about what type of shearers a sheep should be using!

"Oh, yes! Of course, Judas! Where was I?" The ewe scrambled back to the screen, knocking over an ugly 'World's Greatest Dad' mug full of pens in her haste. The 'Dad' was scribbled out with red marker, and 'Assistant Mayor' was scrawled above it. Judas assumed it was a token gift from the rather aloof, and arrogant Mayor Lionheart he'd met at his graduation. "Oh, yes, here it is! What area were you wanting to look at?"

"Rainforest District please, Ms Bellweather. And thank you again for this, it's a huge help!"

"Oh! He he! Please just call me Dawn," the ewe giggled, "And it's nothing really, anything to help the hero of Little Rodentia!"

"I'm not really a hero, Ms Bell– I mean, Dawn, I was just–"

"Nonsense! Of course you are a hero!" she huffed. "Besides, even if you weren't, I'm having fun helping you. It feels like I'm actually doing something important for once!" she trailed off bitterly.

"What do you mean?" Nicky chimed in, "Aren't you the Assistant Mayor?"

"Pfft, more of a glorified secretary really. The only 'thanks' I ever got from Lion _fart_ up there is this stupid mug here," she righted the tacky present from her desk and stuffed the pens back in angrily.

"Lionfart?" Judas snorted in amusement.

"Yeah, well he likes to call me _Smellweather_ when nobody else is around, so I gave him a silly nickname too. He didn't seem to care for it too much though. That was _not_ a good day for me, let me tell you that! Anyway, where were we, oh yes, Rainforest District. What street did you want to go to?"

"Let's start at the corner of Vine and Tujunga, please," Judas answered, leaning towards the screen.

"Sure, just a se–"

" _Smellweather!"_ a crackling roar from the phone intercom cut the ewe off mid-sentence, also causing all three mammals in the small office to jump several inches into the air.

"Uggh! Like I said, he loves that nickname. Sorry, I need to take this," Dawn sighed heavily, and then pressed the reply button on the intercom. "Yes, Sir?" she squeaked.

" _I thought I told you to cancel my afternoon appointments!"_

"Oh, mutton chops! I forgot!" the sheep cursed under her breath, while the fox and rabbit shared a look of shock hearing the vulgar expression coming from the sweet ewe's mouth. "I'll be right up Sir! Don't worry, I'll fix it!" she called back into the intercom.

" _While we're young Smellweather!"_

"Well, I need to dash off," Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes, "Let me know what you find! I'd love to hear _all_ about this case Judas! Perhaps over dinner sometime soon?" she smiled sweetly at the rabbit.

"Um, ah, yeah? Sure, I guess," he stammered.

"Great!" Dawn squealed. "I'll see you really soon then! Bye!" and with that she dashed out of the room.

"Did she just…?" Judas turned to Nicky, pointing his thumb back towards the door.

"I think so! It looks like our _cute_ little bunny hero's already got himself an admirer!" Nicky grinned.

"Oh sush!" Judas snapped, "She's not my type anyway."

"Oh, really? What is your type then?"

"Why would you want to know?"

"Oh, no reason in particular, just trying to get to know the crazy bunny I'm helping a little better, that's all," Nicky grinned. Judas huffed and rolled his eyes in response, but turned back to look at the computer screen.

"Ok, so… here's Vine and Tujunga, aaaand there! That's us being chased by Mr. Manchas!" Judas pointed excitedly to the scene playing out on the screen. "Ha! Just wait until the Chief sees this, then he'll have to believe us!"

"I still don't think he'd be very nice to be around after being proven wrong though," stated the vixen, leaning in closer to see the screen. "Let's see what happened after we escaped at the platform." They scanned through several more camera feeds before they found one covering the sky tram platform they had only narrowly escaped from just hours before. It was an eerie experience for them watching the events unfold again with the cold detachment of a traffic camera, especially as they could now see just how close each other had come to losing their lives out there.

"Ugh!" Nicky shuddered, watching as the two were knocked off the platform by the insane jaguar, "That is an experience I could've done without!"

"Yeah," Judas replied quietly, still watching the screen intently, "I won't argue with you there. Oh look! Who're these guys?" he pointed to the screen as a white van pulled up on the street adjoining the platform. They watched as two grey furred wolves in dark clothing stepped out from the back of the van, one of them holding what appeared to be some type of weapon, a gun or crossbow was Judas' first thought.

"Hmmpf! Timberwolves!" Nicky rolled her eyes as they watched the two large canines approach the snarling jaguar far too calmly. "Look at these bozos, they've got no ide– oh!" Nicky exclaimed as the one with the weapon used it to shoot a net at the savage predator, neatly capturing him.

"Well, this looks interesting at least," Judas said, intrigued as to what the wolves intended to do with their prisoner. They continued to watch as the wolves began to drag the still squirming bundle back towards the truck.

"Ten bucks says one of them's gonna howl." But before Judas could take her up on the bet, Nicky was proven right as first one, then the other wolf reared back their heads and let loose a silent howl, the camera only capturing the video, not the audio. "And, of course, when one howls, the other's gotta howl too," Nicky rambled, casually watching the screen. "I mean, what is it with wolves and the howling, right?"

"Howling…?"

"Huh?"

"Howlers!"

"Now you've lost me, Fluff," Nicky frowned at the suddenly ecstatic bunny next to her.

" _Night_ Howlers, Nicky! Don't you see? The wolves are the night howlers that Otterton, and then Manchas, were so afraid of! So, if they took Manchas–"

"Then I'd bet that they took Otterton too!" Nicky caught on, excited that they finally had a solid lead for once. "So, let's see where they went!" They used the network of cameras to follow the van as it drove off, heading towards the highway, and the tunnel connecting the Rainforest and Tundratown that they had come through in the opposite direction only shortly before. But when they switched to the camera at the other side of the tunnel, they never saw the van emerge.

"Huh? Where'd they go?" Judas asked, feeling the too-familiar sense of disappointment begin to return, But Nicky just smirked at him, and shooed him aside, taking the mousepad in her own paw.

"You know… If _I_ wanted to stay hidden because I was doing something illegal, which of course I never have," she grinned an aside to the rabbit officer next to her, who chuckled at the obvious lie, "I would use maintenance tunnel 6B." A few short clicks were all it took for her to bring up the appropriate feed, showing the van leaving the main tunnel mid-way through, and disappearing down the very same side-tunnel Nicky had predicted.

"Well, well, well. Look at you, Miss Junior Detective!" Judas smirked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a roll of 'Junior detective' shield badges normally reserved for kids. _'This vixen is full of surprises,'_ he thought to himself, and then voiced his next thought out loud, Surprising himself when he realised he was only half-joking. "You know, you're actually pretty good at all of this. I reckon you'd actually make a pretty good cop!" He quickly peeled one of the stickers off and stuck it to the vixen's shirt before she could react.

"Ha! How dare you!" Nicky quipped back, looking down at the shiny sticker, about to pull it off. But a voice in the back of her head spoke up quietly, stopping her. ' _He's right you know. You'd much rather be out there helping mammals, than scamming them…'_ Instead, she smoothed the sticker out with a laugh and returned her attention to the screen. "Anyway, let's see where they went." The two mammals continued to flick through camera feeds, following the van as is it cut north towards the Meadowlands, until finally they ran out of traffic cameras to use.

"Well, that's that. I wonder where that road leads to? And I hope they didn't turn off further up!"

"Relax, Carrots, I'll just pull up a satellite image of the area, and we'll see what there is around there," Nicky opened an internet window while she was speaking, and within seconds had an image showing the region in detail. It took only a moment to locate the road the car had been on, and follow it up, seeing that it didn't have any turnoffs after the point the camera had been, nullifying Judas' concern. The road wound its way up into the hills, and eventually terminated on the side of a cliff with a river pouring off it in what must've been a rather spectacular waterfall. And, visible in the centre of the river, on the edge of the waterfall, was some large structure. The satellite image didn't give enough resolution to see what it was clearly, but it must've been quite large. A single name with no other information was pinned next to the building: 'Cliffside Asylum'.

"Huh, well, I guess that's where we're going then," Judas announced needlessly. "Looks like a cosy place," he smiled at Nicky, but received only a flat gaze in response. He shrugged it off, closed the open windows on the computer and stood up. "Well, let's get moving in any case. We've only got a few hours left on the clock!"

"Sure."

Judas frowned, Nicky seemed rather sullen all of a sudden, and he was wondering what was wrong. _'I'll ask her about it in the car,'_ he thought as he quickly scrawled a note for the Assistant Mayor, thanking her for her help, and leaving it next to several others stuck all around her desk. "Come on, let's go!" he called cheerfully as he bounded towards the door. Nicky sighed, and plodded out of the room to follow him to the car outside, her mind dwelling on darker thoughts.

* * *

A humiliated, and angry Dawn Bellweather trudged back into her office an hour later. "I hate that stupid, stuck-up, arrogant idiot!" she hissed to herself as she sat down at her desk again, intent on trying to clean up the mess her boss had left her in by just abandoning his post once again. She had a reasonable idea of _what_ he was doing that took up so much of his time recently, but she'd been completely at a loss as to _where_ he was going. He'd even managed to lose the mammals she'd sent to follow him a couple of times before. Her mood brightened considerably though, when she saw the scribbled note on her desk from Officer Hopps.

" _Thanks Asst. Mayor Bellweather for the help! Found what we were looking for, and heading off now. Will chat later to let you know how it went! – J. Hopps"_

"Well, this could be interesting!" she muttered happily to herself, re-opening the traffic camera application, and checking the 'recent' tab and following the same feeds the rabbit and fox had earlier. Then she went to the internet, and again followed the history there to see where they had gone. The answer surprised her considerably. "Well, that is interesting indeed! Almost in my old backyard!" Grinning smugly now, she picked up her phone and dialled a number scrawled on another sticky note. While the dial tone rung, she let her eyes drift back to the note left by the handsome rabbit officer, especially those three words _"Will chat later"_ , her smile widened considerably. _'Yep!"_ she thought blissfully to herself, _'My day has just gotten a whole lot better!'_

" _Hi, you've got Doug here,"_ came a faint voice through the phone.

"Hey Doug, it's me. I've finally found out where they're all disappearing to. It's time to move to phase two."

 **A.N.**

 **So there it is, I hope that you were able to enjoy at least some of that. But, hey! I'm back, and things are about to get interesting, so I'd better not drop the ball this time, and get the next chapter out soon. Here's to a timely update!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello again everyone! I did promise that this chapter wouldn't take nearly as long as the last one to publish, so here it is! I won't bore you with any more of my pointless rambling, so dive on in!**

 _Ch 13: Asylum Search_

"You ok, Nicky? You've been awfully quiet since we left City Hall." The two unlikely partners were again crammed in Judas' tiny traffic buggy as they made their way northwards on the Inter District highway. They'd left City Central behind fifteen minutes ago, and Judas hadn't heard even a peep out of the normally chatty fox's mouth.

"Hmm? Sorry, what was that?"

"I asked what's wrong? You seem upset about something. Did I say something wrong?"

"No. No, it's just… well, we're going to Cliffside Asylum."

"And? What's the big deal about that?"

"You don't know the stories?"

"No. What stories?"

"I assume you learnt about the Great Wars in school, right?" Judas nodded the affirmative. Everyone had learnt about the three terrible wars that had been fought in the two previous centuries, each a worse continuation of the one before it.

* * *

The first of the wars had been mainly confined to the African continent in the late 19th century when the Predatory Union had amassed an army in an attempt to subjugate all the prey mammals within their territory with the intention of "controlling population growth" and "embracing the natural order". Essentially, they forced mammals into labour camps and controlled breeding programs, then they proceeded to cull off both the strongest, and the weakest, mammals for food. The breeding programs quickly became geared towards producing as many young as possible to feed the growing appetites of the Union. However, the Union, and the war, only lasted about five years in the southern half of the continent, before infighting in the Union, and a concentrated effort from the North African and Middle Eastern forces ended the appalling regime.

Unfortunately, many of the Union officers escaped and rebuilt their empire again, scarcely more than a dozen years later in the northern part of Europe. The long, cold winters, and mountainous terrain meant that this war dragged on longer than the First Great War, as it had become known, and the Second Union continued its rule over millions of prey for nearly ten years before it too was finally destroyed.

The Third Union began rather differently as a political movement in the Middle East and western Asia, as several smaller countries banded together in the face of the extreme financial crisis that followed the second war. Promising prosperity and wealth for all the member citizens under its rule, this new Coalition began an aggressive program of expansionism and militarisation, placing conquered provinces under a harsh rule. Although this new threat caused other countries a great deal of fear and trepidation, it was not believed that this was a resurgence of the Union, as there were many prey mammals in the ruling council of the Coalition, so little was done at first. However, as the Coalition grew in the late 1920's, it many of these prey councillors slowly began to be replaced with predators, and by the early 30's it became clear that the Coalition was really the Third Union, and began officially calling itself that. By this stage the Union had become well entrenched in Asia and the Middle East, with smaller, satellite colony-style regions planted in Europe, Africa and North America. It was only through many years of bitter fighting, and war crimes on both sides that the Last War drew to a climatic close in the early 50s when the International Mammal Alliance obliterated the last remaining Union strongholds with three simultaneous nuclear attacks. The death toll of the Third Great War was never truly known, but most estimates put it at somewhere between 100 and 130 million casualties, both military and civilian. Only one in five of the Alliance soldiers who set out to war ever returned, and many of these were physically or mentally scarred.

Sadly, the violence and hate didn't end there. By this stage a vast number of prey mammals had grown to fear and distrust all predators, and so very soon, most countries, disguising it as a way of preventing the Union from ever remerging, barred all predators from ever holding positions of political influence, or power. This breach of mammal rights soon grew to prevent any predator from holding positions of power or influence anywhere, and within a few short years, all predators within the borders of the Federated States of America were placed on a public watch list and required to regularly report in and register their residence. This caused a great deal of anger and hatred from the predator population, many of whom had fought against the Union in the War. In an effort to quell the rising protests and violence, a system of shock collars was introduced as a punishment for any aggressive mammal causing a public disturbance. But again, public fear and pressure led to this measure exploding beyond reason, and by the mid 1960s, all predators above the age of eight were required to wear 'precautionary' shock collars that would trigger whenever a predator's heartbeat got too high. It wasn't until as late as the mid 1980s that the 'Tame Collar' project was finally dismantled after much protest, controversy and international pressure.

* * *

"The Cliffside Facility was first built in the late 1930s to hold high-ranking prisoners from the American Union," Nicky explained quietly, "but as the war progressed, and we were able to destroy that splinter colony, it soon became clear that the facility wasn't large enough to hold all the prisoners safely," she cleared her throat before continuing. "Instead, enemy soldiers were left in crowded cells together without food, until they became hungry enough to tear each other to pieces. Literally." The two mammals drove on in silence, the mood between them sombre and depressed. "There are also rumours," Nicky continued after a few moments, "that our scientists and doctors were allowed access to perform unethical, and downright disgusting experiments on live prisoners."

"That's… That's utterly _barbaric_!" Judas exclaimed, his face a mask of horror and revulsion. "What about the POW accords or something? There's a certain code for treating enemy soldiers!"

"You're right, Fluff, but when those soldiers have no registered country, and there's as much hate and fear as there was in that war, all respect for the accords go out the window, along with compassion and common decency."

"Ugh! It makes me feel sick!"

"And it didn't end there. Cliffside stayed open after the war ended, and well into the Tame Collar period as an 'Asylum' for dangerous predators. The thing is, the predators that went in were never heard from again, and many believe illegal experimentation continued there up until the facility was closed down in 1989."

"No, I can't believe that!" Judas exclaimed, visibly shaken by the very thought of that occurring so recently. "Things were bad during the Tame period, but not that bad!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Carrots. My grandfather was one of the mammals that disappeared into the asylum, and never came out again."

"I– I'm sorry Nicky. I didn't realise… It's just all so _wrong_!"

"It certainly is, but that doesn't change the fact of what's been done," Nicky sighed, looking out the open side of the buggy as they drove along the raised highway, now well into the Rainforest District, natural rain again drumming on the roof. She closed her eyes and leant back, letting the calming sound of the rain soothe her.

It was a trick she'd learned years ago, that by just focussing on the sounds around her, she could quickly regain control of her emotions, not letting anyone see the storm raging underneath. She listened now to all she could. The constant, yet everchanging, drone of other cars on the freeway. Wind rushing through the canopy above and below them. The relentless rhythm of rain drilling onto their roof and windscreen. Windscreen wipers swishing back and forth, fighting a continuous war for clarity. The irregular, hitched breaths of the rabbit beside her… _'Hang on, what?'_ Nicky snapped her eyes open to look at the rabbit beside her and was shocked to see tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Fluff? What's wrong?"

"Sorry…" he sniffled, trying to regain his composure, "It's just I… I got thinking about all those poor mammals… and I… I just… oh cripes!" he stole his dad's favourite expression, giving up on trying to explain his feelings.

"Hey, its ok. I understand," Nicky consoled the distressed rabbit, "but that's all in the past now. It doesn't happen anymore." _'At least I hope it doesn't!'_ she thought bitterly, thinking about the savage mammals that were now undoubtedly being kept at the facility.

"I know, it's just a, well, it's kind of a rabbit thing," Judas smiled weakly at the vixen. "We tend to get pretty emotional at times," he took a deep breath, regaining some control. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be fine again." Nicky nodded, then went back to looking out the side of the car at the passing forest, ignoring the occasional sniffle or deep, shaky breaths coming from beside her.

After several more minutes of silence, Judas spoke up again. They were just taking the turnoff up towards the Medowlands, and the tree-scrapers and real plant life were beginning to thin out.

"So, do you have any suggestions for what to do once we get there?" he asked his passenger.

"Uh, no. Aren't you the cop? That's your job, isn't it?"

"Oh, I just thought that Miss 'Sly Fox' would have _some_ idea of how to sneak into the building," Judas smirked, and just like that the tension in the car dropped away, restoring their prior attitude of playful banter.

"Well, aren't you just a smart-assed bunny then! Maybe I just wanted you to pull your own weight for once!"

"Har har, veeeery funny. But I guess we'll just have to see how things stand when we get there, and go from there?"

"That's probably all we can do, Carrots. But either way, we won't have long now anyway, we're nearly there now." And indeed they were. The dense foliage of the Rainforest District had finally given way to rolling hills covered in thick, green grass, sparsely dotted with stunted trees and scraggly bushes. The rain had also petered out again, but the thick clouds remained, shrouding the countryside in a midday dusk. The road they were now following continued to wind northward into the hills surrounding Zootopia, and towards their final destination.

' _I certainly hope Mr. Otterton is in there,'_ Judas thought despondently, _'because this is the last chance I'll get at finding him before my time's up!'_ He pursed his lips in determination, and drove on into the gloom.

* * *

It wasn't long before the pair found themselves passing under an old, wrought iron archway that marked their entrance to the Asylum property. The road continued to wind up the hill towards a tall, dark, foreboding structure perched on the edge of a thunderous waterfall. They pulled off the road and parked the car behind some bushes – one of the few advantages of having such a small vehicle – and made the rest of their way up on foot. They soon crept up to a small security booth on the edge of the river, a boom gate barring way to the only bridge to the island where the castle-like building sat. Two wolves, one snowy white, and the other a silver grey, both wearing dark suits patrolled the shore side of the gate. Peering around the edge of the booth they could see a larger pack of wolves patrolling the island side of the bridge.

' _Sheesh!'_ Nicky whistled silently to herself, _'Whoever's in charge certainly has plenty of money to burn if they can hire this kind of security!'_ But as she watched the movements of the guards, a plan for how to evade them began to form itself in her mind. Tapping Judas on his shoulder to grab his attention, she retreated back around the side of the booth. When they were both safely out of sight she began to explain her plan to him, in perfectly simple sign language of course! It was far too risky to try and talk it over, because, even if the wolves didn't have ears quite as big as a rabbit's, they still had exceptional hearing. _'Wow!'_ she thought excitedly as she flapped her paws together like a bird, then waved her left paw over her head in a circle while tapping her nose with her right, _'This is actually going to be fun! And scary! Fun-scary! Whoo! Let's move!'_ She tugged on her right ear, then sprang up and dashed silently around the booth when neither wolf was looking. She was no stranger to the occasional rush of adrenaline when she used to work for Mr Big, but that had usually been a small kick, not the massive rush she was feeling now, and she was _loving_ it!

* * *

Judas, on the other hand, was definitely not loving the actions of his partner right now. _'Is she trying to get herself killed!'_ he growled inwardly, sticking his head around the corner of the booth to try and see what the crazy vixen was up to. _'She can't really have expected me to understand_ any _of that nonsense paw waving, could she?'_ But his sour mood quickly switched to one of worry as the nearest wolf, the snowy coloured one, suddenly began sniffing wildly, seemingly having caught a strange scent. _'Oh no!'_ he watched as the sniffing wolf crept closer to where Nicky was hiding, ' _If he finds Nicky there—'_ the thought went unfinished as his mind started racing in an attempt to try and stop the wolf from catching her scent without revealing his own presence. Something was bugging him. Something that wolves would always do that would distract them from everything… Something he had seen just recently… _'Aha!'_ he took a deep breath, reared back his head and…

"AAAHHWOOOOO!" He was actually pretty impressed with himself, for a little bunny, he'd managed to pull off what he thought was a passable howl. Evidently someone else thought so too, because scarcely a second passed before another howl split the air.

"OOOHHWOO–"

"Gary! Stop it!" the grey wolf lept over, clamping his paw around his partner's muzzle, "You're going to start a Howl!"

"But it wasn't me!" Gary denied when his partner released his grip. Judas, who was watching the exchange thought that the two needed another push to get going.

"OOHHH, OOOHH, AAAHHHWOOOOO!"

This time the grey wolf was the first to react, rearing back in answer, with Gary adding his own mournful tones to his partner's. Moments later, a cacophony of howls from the far side of the bridge joined in, weaving a timeless ballad in the darkened sky.

Judas didn't take the time to enjoy the strange song however, and as soon as the guards were occupied, he dashed from his hiding place and grabbed Nicky by the paw and dragged the astonished vixen behind him. When she'd heard the second howl, and the ensuing conversation between the two guards, she'd dared to glance out of her hiding spot in time to catch Judas howling again, in a much better impersonation of a wolf than she could do, and she was a canine! They dashed across the bridge together without further incident as all the guards were now otherwise occupied.

"Oh! You _genius_ bunny!" Nicky panted once they reached the relative safety of the building's stone walls. She pulled the surprised rabbit into a tight embrace, "Thank you so much for rescuing me!" she gushed, then suddenly realising what she was doing, dropped Judas as if he was a basket of vipers. "Oh! I'm so sorry— I just— Wow! Is this job always so much of a rush?" Judas looked up from straightening his vest, to look at the vixen in concern, Nicky wasn't the type of girl for aimless rambling, or overt displays of affection like that. Her eyes were wide, and pupils dilated, and she was panting heavily, despite the short distance they had run. _'It must be the adrenaline,'_ he decided. She probably wasn't used to this type of anticipation and sudden, thrilling action. _'Neither am I,'_ he realised, _'But I am more prepared for it.'_

"It can be," he answered carefully, "but a lot of the time is spent quietly patrolling the streets, or filling out mountains of paperwork."

"Hmm, still… If you get to have days like this even occasionally…" Nicky shook her head to dispel the thought and focus on their next obstacle. "Um, hate to be the party crasher, Carrots, but how're we supposed to get in now?"

"Ha ha ha! I was waiting for you to ask. Ready to get your paws wet?" He answered her confused look with an upward jerk of his thumb. Above their heads, and a little further along the outer wall was a stormwater drain, with residual rainwater pouring out of it, crashing down the steep drop to join the waterfall in its spectacular descent to the river below.

* * *

They crept quietly through the system of drain pipes and passageways that criss-crossed throughout the walls and floors of the old brick building. Although the entrance had been rather small, the pipes had quickly widened out, allowing both mammals to stand and walk comfortably. Using Judas' phone light to navigate, they wormed their way deeper into the building, searching for a place to exit the tunnels and begin their search properly. So far, they had passed several grates in the roof of the tunnel, but all had been too well lit to risk entry. Eventually, they came across one that only seemed to have the dimmest glimmer of light shining through it, so they took a chance that nobody was in the room above. Judas held the light for Nicky as she reached up, twisted and then slowly lifted the grate out of its place. Both mammal's ears stood erect, shifting side to side, trying to detect any cries of alarm that would signal their discovery, but none were forthcoming.

Nicky turned to Judas in the darkness of the tunnel, locked her front paws together, and offered them to Judas, "It's now or never, Fluff," she whispered. Judas nodded and took the proffered leg-up, although he could've managed fine on his own. Glancing around the room, he quickly double checked their safety, then clambered out and helped Nicky up as well.

"It certainly looks like it was a hospital or asylum," Judas commented as he scanned the storage room they'd found themselves in, using his phone torch to see. Old, steel frame beds, broken wheelchairs and other random pieces of dated furniture and hospital equipment lay piled up throughout the room. No care had been taken with where things were stacked, as if everything had been moved in here hurriedly, and just thrown together. Nicky looked around at the dusty room and nodded, but didn't comment further. Both mammals noticed the door at the far end of the room, and the faint light glimmering from underneath it. Glancing at each other for confirmation, they moved silently towards it, both knowing that they could be discovered at any second. Upon reaching it, Nicky stretched out a shaking paw to the handle.

"On second thought," she chuckled nervously, "you first. You're the cop after all!" she pushed Judas in front of her towards the handle.

"Gee, thanks," Judas replied dryly, "how considerate." Clicking off the phone's torch, he slowly eased open the door, ears perked to catch any stray sounds that could indicate danger. Hearing nothing, he poked his head through the open door. There was no one in sight. He opened his mouth to give Nicky the all clear, but froze when he felt something cold and wet tickling the back of his ears. Then he felt a blast of hot, moist air blast through them and something warm and fuzzy pushing them apart,

"All clear, Carrots!" Nicky whispered from directly above Judas, her head resting between his two ears now. Judas suppressed a shiver at the contact. It wasn't that he was afraid of the vixen, it was just, well, it was a rather _sensitive_ area for someone else to be putting their head. He didn't have long to get used to the strangely comfortable situation before Nicky retreated and pulled the door open all the way and crept into the slightly better lit room. Judas rolled his eyes and followed after her.

The light in this room was mainly being provided by an array of screens mounted on one of the walls. Each was displaying a different brain scan, with different medical information accompanying them. A brand new medical bed, fitted with different sized restraints and medical imagers sat below the screens. Judas pulled out his phone again and began recording what he saw. Anything could be the most important piece of evidence, and he wanted to gather as much as possible. The fact that he was essentially breaking and entering without any warrant did occur to him, but he just hoped that he'd be able to resolve this without a court battle. Besides, if he didn't crack the case now, he wasn't going to have a job to lose for professional misconduct.

"All of this stuff is brand new," he remarked, turning to Nicky. She nodded, but seemed more concerned with what she was pointing at on the ground behind him.

"Carrots, you might want to take a look at this instead."

"Claw marks," she whispered in awe as she bent down to see the deep gouges in the tiled floor. They were about half a centimetre deep, and each group of four about 12 centimetres wide.

"Yeah, but _huge_ claw marks," she replied, leaning on the wall behind her. "I mean, that's gotta take a seriously large mammal to—Ahhhgghh!"

"RROOAAAGGGHHH!" A huge, dark shape crashed into the wall Nicky had been leaning on, clawing at the thick glass door, cutting her off midsentence, and sending her sprawling into Judas with fright.

"Holy Sh—" she began breathlessly, hurriedly recovering and stepping back from Judas.

"Nicky! Look at this," the bunny interrupted. He was shining his light at the door with the tiger prowling menacingly behind it. He shone the light along, and realised that they were actually in some kind of hallway lined with similar cells. Aggravated sounds now emanated from each as the tiger's sudden attack had stirred them all up. "There's more!" He walked past the snarling tiger, and began down past the other cells, each built exactly the same. A thick glass door, presumably bullet proof, with large ventilation holes cut in to them, and claw marks adorning each one. The doors were locked by an electric control pad, and a case file on each occupant sat underneath this in a wall mounted holder.

He passed a polar bear on the left, a grizzly on the right, a wolf, a jaguar, a— _'Wait!'_ He backtracked a couple of paces, almost running into Nicky who was shadowing him down the hall. She was not enjoying the hungry looks most of the caged predators were giving them as they passed, and she felt just that little bit safer closer to the rabbit officer. Not that she'd ever admit that to him.

"Look! It's Mr. Manchas!" They peered into the dark cell at the mammal that had tried to kill them at the beginning of the day. He was perched up high on a pipe that ran high up between the two walls, seeming more comfortable up high than down on the ground. He snarled at the two mammals staring at him, but there was no recognition in his slitted eyes.

"He looks just as friendly as the last time we saw him," Nicky laughed dryly, trying, and failing, to elicit a laugh from her friend. Judas stared at her blankly for a second, then continued down the hallway, head swinging left and right trying to find her target, recording on her phone all the while. It wasn't much longer before she found what she was looking for.

"Mr. Otterton?" He closed in on one door and peered into the gloom inside. Two faintly glowing orbs could be seen from underneath the bed. Nicky promptly joined the rabbit in trying to see inside. She could see much easier than the rabbit into the gloom, and he could see that the otter they had been chasing was indeed hiding under the bed. His fur was matted with sweat, and his clothes torn, mostly hanging from his body in shreds. A pair of shattered glasses lay in the middle of the floor.

"Emmitt?" Nicky crooned softly, hoping to soothe the agitated otter, "Your wife sent us to come and find you. This is Officer Hopps, and my name's Nicky. We're here to help you!" Slowly, the otter crept forward, sniffing the air cautiously, as if he was testing their words for truth. "Yes, come on. Come here!" Nicky turned to smirk at the officer beside her. Her hustling skills were proving their use once again. Her boast died unspoken on her lips though as the otter suddenly launched itself at the glass door, snarling and clawing at the glass, sending both mammals skittering back in fright.

"Well!" Judas gasped, all these sudden frights were starting to get to him, "I guess he's in no hurry to go anywhere at the moment!" He turned around and looked back down the corridor again. "Hang on a moment, there's…" he quickly counted all of the occupied cells, "There's 15 mammals here! Before Manchas went savage, Chief Bogo handed out 14 missing mammal cases! They're all here! Every last one!"

"Well, that ought to show old Buffalo But what kind of cop you are after all!" Nicky smirked. Judas chuckled at the thought before he suddenly realised he was still recording. Scrambling, he quickly cut the recording off, and glared at the fox.

"Damn it, Nicky, I was still recording! Now he's going to hear that!"

"Well, good. He might finally learn to—"

"Shhh! Someone's coming!" Judas interrupted. Nicky's ears flicked up, straining to catch any sounds that the rabbit might've heard. It took just a moment before she picked up the approaching voices Judas' more sensitive ears already had. They both stood frozen in shock for a moment, before movement outside the door at the end of the hallway galvanised them into action. Grabbing on to each other instinctively, they scrambled as fast as they possibly could to the nearest empty cell, the shaft of yellow light from the quickly opening door chasing them across the hallway. Desperately, they dove through the door of the cell, and lay panting silently below the doorframe, eyes wide in panic at how close they'd come to discovery. _'Too close! Way too close!'_ was all that was running through Judas' mind as he tried valiantly to overcome the pounding in his chest and instead try to focus on the two new voices that had just entered.

" _Enough!_ I don't want excuses doctor! I want answers!" roared the first voice, filled with anger and impatience.

' _Wait a second,'_ Judas thought to himself in astonishment, _'I know that voice! It's—'_

"Mayor Lionheart, please! We're doing everything we can," replied the other voice, slightly shaky, and at a much higher pitch than the mayor's.

Judas and Nicky poked their heads just above the doorframe to watch the proceedings better, and Judas again took out his phone to start filming the events for evidence. Mayor Lionheart stood, towering over a female badger in her late thirties dressed in a lab coat and carrying a clipboard. Although she seemed intimidated by the much larger predator, she stood her ground.

"If I had anything to tell you, I would straight away!" the badger doctor continued.

"Well, you'd better come up with something _really_ soon, because I've got a dozen and a half animals in here who've gone completely nuts, and you can't tell me _why_! All you can tell me is that they're 'higher reasoning' capabilities have been completely locked out and they've reverted to natural instinct alone! We need to know _why_ , doctor!"

"Look, the _only_ thing I can think of at the moment is that it's something to do with their biology."

"Their biology? What's that supposed to mean doctor?" Lionheart demanded, a dangerous tone to his voice. Judas and Nicky exchanged an interested glance, hopeful to finally learn some of what has really been going on.

"So far, the only mammals to have gone 'savage' are _predators_. It might be some virus, or infection or something that only affects predators, or it might be something more basic in their genetic code, but, whatever it is, it's only going to keep growing in proportion. We can't keep this a secret anymore. We _need_ to come forward!"

"Hmm!" the Mayor growled menacingly, "What a great idea! Tell the public that predators are randomly going crazy and attacking mammals, and that we have no clue what's causing it. That sounds like a wonderful idea, doctor," he continued, his voice dripping sarcasm and scorn. "Just one small question. How do you think they'll feel about their Mayor, _who is a lion!_ " He roared, causing Judas to wince in pain at the sudden assault on his ears, and eliciting agitated growls, snarls and general raucous from all the imprisoned predators. "I'll be _ruined_!" He threw up his paws in defeat.

"Well, what does Chief Bogo say?" asked the badger, desperate for a solution that wouldn't involve the overbearing Mayor growling down her neck constantly. This instantly caught Judas' attention, _'Could the Chief really be involved? What would I do then?'_ he bit his lip, but returned his attention to the scene playing out in front of him and Nicky.

"Chief Bogo doesn't know anything about this," Lionheart stabbed a finger at the badger's chest, "and it's going to stay that way." Judas sighed a quick breath of relief as he heard that one piece of good news. Of course, however, that is the exact moment when disaster chose to strike.

Judas' phone screen suddenly switched from the dark recording of the conspiratorial mayor and badger, to a bright picture of his parents, alerting him to the impending doom of their phone call a fraction of a second before a loud, cheery ringtone coursed through the air.

"Oh, no! Nononono!" he seethed, mashing at the screen in panic trying to shut the sound off. _'How could I be so_ stupid _!'_ he berated himself as he finally shut the phone call off, but the damage was already done.

"Someone's here!" the mayor panicked, but the doctor was already on the move, grabbing her employer by the wrist and dragging him from the hallway.

"We need to get you out of here immediately!" she instructed as she pushed the stunned lion through the doorway. "Security!" she yelled as she slammed the emergency lockdown button outside the door, "Sweep the area! Find the intruders!"

The emergency lockdown system was designed to prevent any mammal from being able to exit its cell, or enter any other cell, so as soon as it was triggered, the door on Nicky and Judas' cell quickly slid shut, locking the two investigators inside, and despite all their pushing and shoving, they couldn't possibly open the door. It was made to resist much stronger mammals than a bunny and a fox after all.

"Well, that's just _great_!" Nicky threw her paws up in disgust and defeat once she realised the door wasn't going to budge at all. "We're dead," she trudged away from the door, then leaned up against the massive toilet bowl, designed for much larger mammals who might otherwise have occupied the cell, and turned to fix the bunny cop with an accusing glare. "I'm dead, you're dead, we're all _dead_! All because you couldn't have that stupid thing on silent! You really must be a dum—"

"Can you swim?" Judas interrupted suddenly, a gleam of hope sparkling in his deep blue eyes. While Nicky had been bemoaning their impending dooms, his mind had been racing, trying to find any possible solution, throwing out ideas as fast as they came to him, until he saw Nicky lean against the massive porcelain structure. He whipped out an evidence bag and started stowing his phone and carrot pen safely inside it.

"Can I swim?" Nicky asked in confusion, "Yes, I can swim, but what has that got to do with anything?"

"For your phone," Judas announced, holding out another evidence bag to the confused fox, before climbing up into the rim of the bowl. He could hear voices gathering outside the door now, they didn't have long.

"Oh, no! You're not seriously sugg—"

"Look! I'm not going to end up 'dead', like you were crying a minute ago, and I suggest that if you don't want to either, you shut up and listen to me!" Judas snapped, cutting off any further complaint from the fox. Truthfully, she saw no other option, so she quickly zipped her phone in the bag, then joined the rabbit on top the toilet. "You first," Judas directed, not giving the vixen any time to react before pushing her into the bowl, and slamming down the flush lever. Nicky's last thought as the water slammed into her from above, was that she _really_ didn't want to get stuck in the u-bend and drown…

* * *

A pack of security wolves burst into the dark hallway, ignoring the baying and growling of all the agitated predators in their cages, instead swinging their laser-sighted Taser pistols all around in search of the unknown intruders. Prepared for any mammal to potentially come charging at them in a desperate bid for escape, they were not really prepared for the relative silence that met their explosive entry. Lowering their weapons slightly, they quickly moved to investigate the cells, searching for anything that could possibly be out of order. Only one of them saw anything, and even he wasn't really sure, but he told his squad mates nonetheless. One of the toilets in an empty cell was still flushing when he looked at it. They continued to search the hallway, and adjoining rooms, uncovering the entry point, but quickly determining by scenting it, that it had not been used for escape, they finally concluded that the two intruders must have flushed themselves in a desperate attempt to escape detection. Their report to their employer recommended that a plumber be called the next day to unclog the pipes and retrieve the bodies of the unfortunate intruders.

* * *

Contrary to the head of security's belief, however, during the agonising few seconds of narrow pipes, neither Judas or Nicky became wedged in the plumbing system. Eventually, the pipe widened out, allowing both mammals to break the surface, and take a deep breath of much appreciated, if rather foul smelling air. Unfortunately for them, the ride didn't stop there. The pipe was angled steeply down, and the two escapees were quickly joined by many other streams of water, all cumulating in a raging torrent carrying them at ever increasing speeds downwards and outwards. Needless to say, both mammals were having a wonderful time.

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Nicole screamed in terror.

"Woooaaahh!" Judas yelled in panic.

Fortunately for both of them, their ride was quickly coming to an end. Unfortunately, that end was in the form of a twenty-meter waterfall.

The rabbit and fox shot out of the sewage pipe at the bottom of the asylum, like a cork from a champagne bottle, and flew out into empty space.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Nicole screamed in greater terror.

"WOOOOOAAAAAHHHH!" Judas yelled in even more panic.

Nicky hit the water like a cannonball smashing into a medieval castle. Hard. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and as she was driven deep underwater, her lungs were already burning for air. She lashed out, clawing at the water, trying to pull herself towards the surface, but she wasn't making any progress. She didn't even know which way was up, and which was down. Ignoring the agonising pain building in her chest, she forced herself to calm down, and blew out a bubble of her little remaining air. Watching it rise, gave her a new direction for upwards, and she followed it, swimming with strong, coordinated strokes. But even that didn't last long, and soon the fire in her torso became almost unbearable, and her strokes became uneven again. Spots danced before her eyes, and she felt consciousness beginning to slip away when her snout finally broke the surface of the water. A strangled gasp wrested itself from her throat the instant she cleared the surface, driving back the darkness at the corners of her eyes. She took a couple more shaky breaths, and glanced around for the rabbit who'd gotten her into this mess in the first place. She couldn't see him anywhere.

"Carrots!" she called out, trying to locate the bunny, but didn't hear any response. "Hopps?" she called again, louder this time. Still no response. _'Oh no!'_ she thought, panic again setting in, _'Please no!'_ She called out one last time in desperation, "JUDAS!" Finally, a soggy, grey head broke the surface of the water a few meters from Nicky, gasping and spluttering for air. Nicky immediately swam over to the rabbit, supporting him while he caught his breath. "Damnit, Fluff! Don't do that to me! I thought you'd drowned!"

"Sorry," he wheezed, smiling weakly, "but I dropped this." He held up the plastic evidence bag with his phone and pen in it. "We need the evidence to arrest Lionheart."

"Yes, but not at the cost of your own life!" Nicky growled, surprised at how angry she was that the annoying rabbit had nearly gotten himself killed. _'What's happening to me?'_ she wondered as the pair began to paddle towards the nearest bank, _'Am I going soft or something?'_

Several long minutes later, the two weary and bedraggled mammals dragged themselves up onto the bank, panting for breath. The water was fast and cold, and the river was wide, so it had taken considerable effort for them to finally make it to safety. After he'd managed to catch his breath, Judas forced himself upright and pulled out his phone, answering Nicky's questioning glance, "We've got to tell Bogo straight away." She nodded tiredly, and dragged herself up next to the rabbit as he dialled the number for Precinct One's reception desk.

"Yes, hello Ben. It's Officer Hopps here. We've found them! All of the missing mammals are here! Where? Oh, at Cliffside Asylum. Bring everyone!"

"And Blankets!" Nicky interrupted before Judas could end the call, "We're freezing!"

"Oh, and some towels and blankets too please Ben," Judas added sheepishly grinning at the shivering vixen beside him. "Thanks, and please hurry!"

 **A.N.**

 **So, I'm sure you all noticed my rather different version of global history that I inserted into this chapter, and I'd like to know your thoughts on it. My aim was to try and work at setting up a different world for this movie. Although it all still occurs on Earth, and there are some significant similarities between our history and culture, and theirs, I prefer there to still be some major differences. These are animals we're talking about, from many different sentient species coexisting on the planet. Humans are the only sentient species on Earth, and so it stands to reason, that this difference will cause some big differences in history. The fact that there are similarities at all is something that I hope to be able to address in a future story (if I get around to writing it!). Although there are several stories on this website that I really enjoy that are animal versions of our own history, I personally prefer a different history, which is why I have introduced the concept of 3 World Wars, and the social aspects that I mentioned will also have a direct impact on the story. Also, the insightful reader will see the parallels between the period after the 3rd war and the American civil rights movement and problems (at least what this Aussie knows about them!).**

 **Anyway, I'll endeavour to get started on the next chapter shortly and not keep you waiting too long. As usual, any feedback, positive or otherwise, is always welcome! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello! Yes, I'm back again and I apologise (again!) for the wait. Uni has started back up again, and I got a new laptop, so it took me a little while longer than I had planned to get this chapter done. I know that many of you were expecting this chapter to be about the press conference, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. As the area where I have the most freedom for writing my own stuff is in between scenes and off-screen, most of this chapter is in between what we see in the movie. I hope you still like it though!**

* * *

 _Chapter 14: Here Comes the Cavalry!_

Chief Adrian Bogo was tired. No, he was more than tired, he was exhausted. The last two weeks or so had been hell on earth for the chief of the Zootopian Police Department. Ever since that first grizzly bear had disappeared some sixteen days ago, he'd been working longer hours and under more pressure from both City Hall, the media, and the general public. And with each successive disappearance, things got worse for the worn-out buffalo. He'd barely left the precinct at all in the past three days, and only managed to steal a few hours' sleep in the middle of the night shift, and even then, sleeping at his desk was not particularly restful.

He sighed as he picked up the case file for Jackie Bates, a mountain lion who had been the fourth mammal to go missing. He already knew the disappointingly thin file back to front, but he hoped that by reading it once again, something might just possibly jump out at him that he'd overlooked before. He was halfway through the third and final page when something finally did jump, but it wasn't a fact from the case. It was him when an unexpectedly load _"PING!"_ from his phone told him he had received a message. Grateful for the distraction, he glanced over and smiled when he saw it was from his wife.

" _Hi Hon! I hope things are going better today for you. The kids and I miss having you home, but we understand how important it is! I saw this app earlier, and just thought it might cheer you up if you're having a bad day! ;P Love you! Bye! XO"_

Adrian smiled, he loved his wife dearly, and the message from her had already helped to cheer his mood slightly. Underneath the message was a link to an app, titled simply: "One Hot Dancer!" Curious, he tapped the link, and chuckled briefly when he read the description on the app store:

" _Do you love Gazelle? Well, now you can join her dancing on stage in front of millions of fans! With realistic effects, and Gazelle's biggest hit songs, this app is a must have for any Gazelle fan!"_

He moved to exit the page, intending to return to his work, but froze with his finger hovering above the 'back' button. _'Surely a quick look wouldn't hurt, would it?"_ he thought cautiously, tapping on the download button instead, _'It may even help refresh my mind, and give me a fresh perspective. Besides, I've been working non-stop for days now…'_ he continued to reason as he opened the app and followed the setup instructions for taking a selfie. He grinned widely as the photo clicked, then snapped his head up to the door, suddenly fearful that someone might have somehow seen him actually _smile_. Thankfully, the door was still firmly shut, and nobody seemed to be moving past it either. Doing one last check to ensure he was truly alone, he swiped through the list of songs, turned the volume down and selected one.

Music began trickling out of the speaker, and the screen suddenly changed to a stage backdrop with a cartoon version of Gazelle on screen, just beginning to dance to the music. The cartoon avatar of Gazelle beckoned for someone off screen to join her, and a moment later one of her tiger backup dancers joined her on stage, only, Adrian's head was tackily pasted on top of the tiger's. Bogo snorted in amusement, _'Realistic effects, my hoof!'_ he thought disdainfully, but turned the volume up regardless so he could hear the tune better, the upbeat pop song already working to relax him.

" _Wow! You're one hot dancer, Chief Bo-go!"_ came the faint and halting computerised voice of Gazelle through the phone speaker, so the Chief turned it up again so he could hear everything properly. Smiling contentedly now, he started bopping and swaying in his chair to the music, wishing that Gazelle would hurry up and organise another concert in Zootopia. Unfortunately, Murphey's Law had something to say about this being the one time the Chief relaxed for a few moments.

"Chief Bogo! Chief Bogo!" Clawhauser barged into the Chief's office, yelling and gasping for breath.

' _Crap!'_ Adrian lept a foot into the air with the shock intrusion, and simultaneously fumbled to hide his phone from the chubby receptionist. "Not now!" he half pleaded, half ordered the cheetah. But it was too late.

"Wait…" Ben panted, a grin lighting up his chubby face. "Is that Gazelle?"

"Wha— No!" He denied vehemently, the pop music still pouring out of the speakers, despite his best attempts to muffle it with his hooves.

" _I'm Gazelle! And you are one hot dancer!"_ came the computerised voice from the phone at the opportune time to prove the chief a liar. _'Damnit!'_ Bogo grimaced, eyes dancing around the room trying to see if there was anything he could use to distract the excited cheetah.

"You have the app too?" Clawhauser whispered in shock. "Awwwww! Chiiieee—"

"Clawhauser!" Bogo snapped, finally coming up with a topic change, "Can't you see I'm busy working on the Missing Mammals case?" he gestured to the map on the wall covered with photos and connecting strings for emphasis.

"Oh, yes! Yes, of course!" seeing the glare forming on the chief's face, Ben decided to get right to the point, "About that sir, Officer Hopps just called, he found _all_ of them!"

' _Did I just hear him correctly?'_ Bogo queried himself, his lower jaw dropping on its own.

" _Wow! I'm impressed!"_ came Gazelle's voice from the phone, breaking the shocked silence in the room. Snarling at the device, Bogo quickly exited the app to forestall any further untimely interruptions.

"What do you mean, he found them all?"

"Hopps just called, he said they were following their lead on the missing otter, and found every single one of the missing mammals all at the same place! He's got video evidence and everything!"

"Where, Clawhauser?" the buffalo demanded angrily, grabbing his necessary belongings, and pushing the receptionist out of the office, "Damnit Clawhauser! _Where_ are they?"

"Oh! Oh, yes! They're at Cliffside Asylum! And they asked if you could bring some towels and blankets, him and the fox that's been helping him fell into the waterfall there." Bogo frowned at the mention of the smart-mouthed vixen who had embarrassed him in front of his officers, but let it slide for now.

"Cliffside?"

"Oh, it's an abandoned asylum out in the Meadow—"

"I _know_ where it is, Clawhauser, I'm just wondering _why_ they're all the way out there," he stormed along the internal balcony, the cheetah struggling to keep up with the larger mammal. Leaning over the railing, he bellowed out to everyone below, "ANYONE NOT ON BASIC DUTY, GEAR UP! WE'VE LOCATED THE MISSING MAMMALS OUT AT CLIFFSIDE ASYLUM IN THE MEADOWLANDS! GRIZZOLI, COORDINATE WITH THE PARAMEDICS TO MEET US THERE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT CONDITION THESE MAMMALS ARE IN! WOLFARD, SWING PAST SICKBAY AND GRAB SOME TOWELS AND BLANKETS, HOPPS AND HIS 'FRIEND' FELL INTO THE WATERFALL. FANGMEYER, GET A SWAT TEAM TOGETHER!" Bogo paused to catch his breath as all the mammals below, officers and civilians alike stared up at him, frozen in shock. "Well, what are you waiting for? MOVE YOUR WORTHLESS TAILS!" The precinct instantly erupted into chaos as officers dashed about, each with a separate goal in mind. Bogo took a moment to watch, a proud smile gracing his face. He knew that his officers were the best in the entire state, and that they'd all see to their respective tasks with efficiency and speed.

"What about me, sir? What do you want me to do?" Clawhauser asked the chief.

"Stay here, call Mayor Lionheart and let him know that we've found them all," he replied, making his way down the staircase to the first floor.

"Oh, um... About that, sir…"

"What _now_ , Clawhauser?"

"Um, you're not going to like this, but… Officer Hopps said that the Mayor is involved! He's got video proof of that too!"

"WHAT?" Bogo spun around so suddenly that Clawhauser ran straight into the buffalo's chest.

"I said—"

"I heard you, Clawhauser! I'm just— Gah! This day just keeps on getting better doesn't it!" he muttered angrily, marching down the hallway towards his cruiser. _'Hopps better have all the evidence he claims to, otherwise I'm going to skin that rabbit alive!'_ he thought darkly, jumping in, and starting his cruiser's engine simultaneously. Switching on the lights and sirens, he sped out of the underground garage, followed by several other police cruisers, heading towards the Asylum.

 **Break Line**

"I certainly hope your friends in blue get here soon, Fluff," Nicky complained, "I'm freezing my tail off here!" She didn't miss the irony in her statement about actually wanting more cops around. It wasn't all that long ago that she would've gone out of her way to avoid them. She was actually a bit surprised that Judas hadn't commented on the irony for her. Turning around to tease the rabbit, she did a double take when she saw the condition her friend was in.

Judas sat by the side of the road that they had moved to after calling the station. His knees were tucked up against his chest, arms wrapped tightly around them to try and preserve some modicum of warmth. His ears were pinned to the pack of his head, eyes staring unseeing directly ahead, blue lips parted and his buckteeth chattering violently with the cold. In fact, his whole body seemed to be vibrating in a vain attempt to keep warm, but his dripping fur and the cold breeze off the river instantly robbed him of any heat his body was producing. He was very obviously suffering from hypothermia.

"Carrots! Are you okay?" Nicky demanded, kneeling next to the bunny. No response. "Damnit, Carrots! Answer me! Are. You. Okay?" she grabbed Judas' shoulders and shook him as she spoke, forcing him to respond.

"Hmmm? Ye-ea-eah. I'm f-f-fine," he slowly stuttered through his chattering teeth. He barely seemed aware of his surroundings, staring straight through the concerned vixen as if she wasn't there.

' _This is really not good!'_ Nick thought bitterly, stepping back from the nearly catatonic rabbit for a moment. Help was probably still another ten to twenty minutes away at best, and she didn't think that Judas would last that long in his current state. She'd seen her fair share of hypothermic cases before, and she knew that thigs could go very bad, very quickly. Cursing under her breath, she bent down to the rabbit again, and ignoring his muted squeaks of protest, quickly pulled off his Kevlar vest, and unbuttoned his sopping shirt, grimacing as her fingers brushed the old scars on his chest. She discarding both items on the ground beside him. She quickly dragged him a few metres back to nearby bush, using it to shelter them both from the biting wind. "I can't believe I'm actually going to do this…" she muttered glumly to herself as she sat down behind the unresponsive rabbit, unbuttoning her own shirt, shivering as a blast of wind made its way through the bush and across her mostly bare front. But she was even more concerned when she saw Judas start to slump to one side, beginning to lose consciousness. "Shit!" She grabbed the bunny before he could hit the ground, and pulled him up into her lap, flinching as his icy fur and skin pressed against her own. "Heck, Carrots! You're frozen! Why didn't you say anything?" she didn't get any response, not that she'd really expected one. She wrapped her shirt and tail around the two of them in a further attempt to preserve as much warmth as she could.

They continued to sit that way for several more minutes before Nicky finally felt Judas begin to stir in her lap. "Are you awake in there, Fluff?" a slight smile forming on her muzzle now that the rabbit seemed to be recovering a little.

"Mmmm… Five more minutes, mom…" came the muffled response as the ball of cold fur tried to burrow further into her lap, the action bringing a sudden heat to the vixen's cheeks and ears.

"Ha ha…" Nicky laughed awkwardly, _'What's wrong with me!?'_ she demanded of herself, _'Why's this dumb rabbit got me so flustered?'_ Turning her attention back to the mammal curled into her front, "I'm not your mom, Carrots," she said out loud, a grin forming on her muzzle again as she felt him stiffen, his ears suddenly standing upright in front of her face. _'On the other paw, this could be rather fun!'_

"Ni-Nicky?" came a squeaky voice from under her shirt.

"The one and only," she whispered breathily into his ears.

"What-? I'm-, you're-, we're-!"

"Relax, Fluff! Sheesh! You're hypothermic. I had to keep you warm somehow, and seeing as I'm not a magician, or MacGoffer, this was the only way I could think of stopping you from falling into a coma! That's all!"

"I… Well that's… Thanks, Nicky," Judas finally croaked, his still-chattering teeth making conversation difficult. "If you want, I'm feeling bett-ah, ah, ah-CHOO!"

"Oh, no you aren't! I'm not going to be held responsible by Boss-Buffalo-Butt if I let you out, only for you to die of hypothermia moments before he arrives! You're staying right where you are!"

"Sheesh!" Judas smiled, sticking his head out the front of Nicky's shirt, and twisting to look back at her, "You do sound just like my mother now!"

"Oh, put a carrot in it, Fluff!" Nicky huffed through the rabbit's ears, a grin tugging at the corners of her muzzle again. Judas laughed in response, but mimed a zip across his lips and settled back into the vixen's lap. He didn't want to admit it, but he was _really_ enjoying the warmth and softness of the Vixen's fur, and he hadn't really wanted to move when he'd tried to suggest it. Instead, he settled in to wait for his co-workers while basking in the heat that was slowly returning to his limbs. He also did his best to ignore the stabbing pain that occasionally accompanied feeling returning to outer extremities.

* * *

"Ah! Here's the cavalry, Carrots," came Nicky's voice from above the dozing rabbit. His eyes snapped open. A line of police cruisers was speeding around the nearest corner, lights flashing, but running without sirens. Judas was shocked that they'd been able to approach without him hearing them. _'The cold must've affected my ears more than I'd thought!'_ he realised sullenly, thankful again for Nicky's help in keeping him alive. _'Speaking of Nicky-!'_

"Oh, no!" he yelped, leaping straight out of Nicky's lap to the side of the road.

"Hey! Watch what you're-" Nicky's growl was cut off as the poor rabbit quickly went into panic mode.

"They'regoingtoseeus! Whataretheygoingtothink! What'llBogosay! Whatif-"

"Stop it!" Nicky snapped, cutting through Judas' worrying as the first of the cruisers pulled up to stop nearby, "So what if they do? You were _dying_ , Judas! Once we explain that, everything will be _fine_!" she stood up slowly, and began to rebutton her shirt up calmly, indicating with one foot where Judas' pile of wet gear lay discarded. Judas stood like a statue for a moment, only his furiously twitching nose indicating that his mind was still racing. The sound of slamming doors sent his ears rocketing up straight again, and he darted forward, trying in vain to put his shirt back on before the Chief and other officers could see him.

"What the _hell_ is going on Hopps?" bellowed the deep, unmistakeable voice of Chief Bogo from behind him.

"Chief!" Judas spun around to face his boss, shirt buttoned unevenly and still dripping water everywhere. "I- we found- the river- fell-" Judas stammered wildly, trying to think of some way that he could possibly explain his current state of undress. More officers were pouring out of the caravan of cruisers, many with wide grins on their faces as they saw the rookie cop and the vixen in such a compromising situation. Judas' ears flushed even darker red at the sound of poorly disguised snickers coming from many of them.

"What Officer Hopps here is _trying_ to say, Chief," interrupted the damp vixen as she watched impatience and anger cloud the buffalo's face, "is that we found all the missing mammals up there." She pointed up to the distant structure on the hill. "And as we made our escape, we ended up in the river, and now your officer is suffering _severe_ hypothermia. So, _if_ you don't mind, we'd much rather continue this in one of your _heated_ cruisers!" She fixed the buffalo with a bland stare, not so much as flinching when he turned his glare on her.

The tense standoff was shattered by an explosive sneeze from the aforementioned rabbit.

"Wolford!" Bogo broke off his stare and snapped at the wolf officer behind him, "Where are those blankets I asked you to fetch? We wouldn't want our newest recruit freezing to death on us before he can even prove his claim!"

"Coming sir!" he replied, darting back to his cruiser.

"Oh, I can prove it right now sir!" Judas spoke up, struggling to hold his chattering teeth still.

Bogo looked down at the dripping rabbit as he fumbled with a plastic evidence bag, eventually extricating his phone and unlocking it after several tries. ' _Hmm, the fox is right,'_ he mused silently, ' _he is in a bad way right now. Maybe he deserves a little bit of slack. Just a little.'_

"H-here sir," Judas passed up his small phone to the Chief, then accepted a very large blanket from Officer Wolford, who had just returned, wrapping it tightly around himself. Bogo pulled out his glasses and squinted down at the small screen, and everyone went silent as he watched one, then the next video, a ferocious scowl developing on his face the more he watched. When he was finally finished, he silently gave the phone back to the smaller officer and turned to face the rest of his officers.

"Back in the cars. Now." He spoke quietly, and in a low monotone, but there was no mistaking the fury in his voice. "Let's go shut this _thing_ down. Hopps, and…" he raised an eyebrow at the vixen next to the rabbit, both cocooned in separate blankets too large for them.

"Nicole Wilde, at your service," she smirked widely. Bogo just snorted.

"Hopps, and Wilde, good job. Get in with Wolford and Delgato. You will _stay_ there until _I_ say otherwise. Now, everyone MOVE!" he roared the last word, his anger finally breaching his calm exterior. Frantically, mammals darted about, each scrambling to get to their assigned places without attracting the ire of their Chief. Very few had ever seen him genuinely this angry before, and none wanted to possibly be on the receiving end of it.

* * *

The next hour passed like a blur for Judas as the last two days of crazy activity finally reached its climax in the rapidly falling dusk. He remembered passing the wolf guards at the bridge, both being restrained by officers, looks of shock and confusion plastered on their faces. Then as they drove over the bridge, he watched as the other wolf guards surrendered in the face of the highly-trained SWAT teams that streamed out of two vans, who then went on to breach the front entrance of the building. After that, things went quiet for a while in the car. Delgato and Wolford had left to help control the perimeters, and Nicky had dozed off in her blanket. Eventually, the SWAT team must have given the all-clear, because the crowd of officers milling in the courtyard began to walk freely in and out of the Asylum, many of them returning with subdued guards, many of them larger canines, although there were a few big cats and two bears. Nobody seemed like they had been badly injured though, and this caused Judas to breathe a sigh of relief.

It was right around that point when the first news vans began to turn up. He later found out that the Chief's immediate response at the station had alerted many civilians as to the location where the mammals were being kept. Of course, it hadn't taken long for that information to be leaked to media. Several officers now went into crowd management, setting up a cordon on the shore side of the bridge, preventing them coming any closer.

Judas stared out the window at his colleagues, admiring their professionalism, looking forward to being able to perform his job as efficiently as them one day. _'Now that I found all these mammals, Bogo will have to keep me on as an officer! A real one!'_ he smiled to himself.

A tap on the window startled him out of his reverie. Wolford stood there, a smile on his muzzle and two takeaway cups in his paws. Judas opened the door.

"Hey, Hopps! I brought you both a nice, hot coffee. Is your friend awake, or should we leave her to sleep?" Judas smiled at the larger predator, and turned to check on Nicky. He needn't have bothered though, the word 'coffee' seemed to work better than an alarm clock for the weary vixen as she suddenly sat bolt upright, inhaling deeply through her nose.

"Did I hear someone say, 'coffee'?" she demanded sleepily. As an answer, Wolford passed one through the open door to her, smiling broadly. Nicky gratefully began gulping down the hot liquid, sending an appreciative nod back to the wolf in thanks. A small frown darkened Judas' face for a moment as he watched the exchange.

"Oh, don't worry Hopps," Wolford turned to him, "here's yours." He pawed the second to the rabbit.

"Ah, thanks," he replied, "but I actually don't drink normal coffee. Caffeine isn't really the best thing for rabbits. It-"

"Suit yourself!" Nicky interrupted, snatching it out of his paws, a wide grin plastered on her muzzle. This time, she took her time with the drink, savouring the strong, dark liquid. Wolford just laughed merrily.

"By the way, Bogo says he'd like you to go in to see him as soon as you're ready."

"WHAT!" Judas yelled, "Why didn't you say that straight away?" he demanded, leaping out of the cruiser, straightening up his now mostly dry uniform. Nicky followed him out at a more dignified pace. Judas made to dart off towards the Asylum, but was stopped by a large paw on his arm.

"Just a second, Hopps," Wolford said, "There's something you should know about the Chief first. It takes a while for any mammal here to gain his respect, and he hasn't been that much harsher on you than he was on the rest of us when we were rookies. It might take some time, but once you get to know him, you'll find that he really is a fair and considerate boss. He just sometimes has a funny way of expressing it." The wolf chuckled briefly, as if remembering some particular example. "Acting all jumpy – no pun intended – and legalistic won't get you anywhere with him. Take my advice, _relax_! If he sees that you can handle what the job throws at you without getting too flustered, he'll respect you all the more for it."

Judas took a couple of deep breaths, "Thanks, Wolford," he smiled, trying to look more relaxed than he felt, "I'll keep that in mind!" He set off towards the concrete monolith at a more sedate pace with Nicky trailing behind, sipping contentedly on her second coffee, and pulling on a pair of aviator shades she'd found in the backseat of the cruiser.

Wolford smiled as he watched the pair recede. Judas did look like he'd at least taken some of what the older officer had said to heart, and he was looking forward to working with the rabbit officer more in the future. If tonight was any indication, he had a bright future ahead of him. His grin widened as his eyes were drawn back to the swishing red tail of the vixen as she stepped through the door Judas was holding open for her. _'Now that is one_ hot _lady! I certainly wouldn't mind getting to know her a bit better too!'_ he thought wistfully to himself, although a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him that he might already be too late. Shrugging, he turned around to help coordinate the arriving paramedics.

* * *

Inside the Asylum for the second time in as many hours, Nicky and Judas were subject to a very different experience. Instead of sneaking through dirty drainpipes, they were directed through a brightly lit corridor towards a large open room that may have once served as a cafeteria. The room was full of officers, some coming and going, others guarding and questioning a variety of mammals, many of whom were wearing lab coats. One of the exceptions was the Mayor of Zootopia, Leodore Lionheart, sitting hunched over at a too-small table. Chief Bogo stood guard over him, stony faced as ever, and not moving a muscle. It wasn't until Judas approached that he finally took his eyes off the large predator.

"Ah, Hopps," he greeted the rabbit flatly. All things considered, Judas felt that was about the most cheerful he'd ever heard the buffalo. "You're just in time."

"For what, sir?"

"This was your case, and you solved it. That means you get to arrest the mammal responsible." This attracted an exasperated groan from the mayor. Both officers ignored him.

"Me, sir?" Judas was more than a little surprised. The chief had never indicated any level of trust in the rabbit, and now he was being asked to arrest the most important mammal in the city. Even for a rabbit, that was a pretty large backflip.

"Do you have a problem with that, Hopps?" he asked, a steely edge to his voice, causing the rabbit to flinch inwardly for questioning his boss out loud.

"No! Not at all, sir!" he quickly saluted.

"I do!" interjected the subject of their discussion dejectedly. The two officers glared at him for a moment.

"Too bad," Bogo grunted, hauling the lion to his feet, and pulling his arms behind his back so Judas could cuff him with the pair of pawcuffs left on the table.

"Leodore Lionheart," Judas declared as he snapped the cuffs into place and checking their security. "You are under arrest for fifteen counts of false imprisonment, mistreatment of said mammals, and unethical and illegal experimentation on them."

"Wait! You don't understand! I'm-"

"Let's get him outside. I'm taking him in _my_ cruiser," Bogo cut off the mayor midsentence and began guiding the lion towards the entrance of the building.

"Mr. Lionheart," Judas began again, catching up with the Chief and prisoner in the corridor. Nicky followed behind the trio. "I am now obligated to inform you of the rights you are entitled to under law, please listen carefully. You have the right to remain silent." They passed through the doors of the Asylum into the flashing lights of the media, police car lights and the floodlights shining down from several hovering police helicopters. The sudden cacophony of sounds required Judas to raise his voice to be heard over the din. "Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law."

"Wait! You don't understand!" Lionheart finally managed to cut in, continuing before the rabbit could continue his monologue. "I'm trying to _help_ those mammals!" He nodded in the direction he was looking where Officer McHorn and two other bear officers Judas didn't recognise were struggling to get a snarling leopard into the back of one of the reinforced prisoner transports. "We still don't know what's causing this! It could tear the city apart!" The pleading was evident in his voice, and Judas had to shake his head to clear his mind.

"You have the right to an attorney," he forged on. "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you by the state."

"Please! You've got to listen to-"

"Get in," Bogo grunted at the lion, holding the rear door of his cruiser open for the mayor. Lionheart's shoulders sagged, and he looked defeated. Judas had to check his natural tendency for compassion as he watched the dejected lion slump into the seat.

"Are you coming with me, Hopps?" Bogo asked, slipping into the driver's seat.

"Ah, no thanks Chief. I've still got to pick up my vehicle, and make sure Ms. Wilde gets home safely." Bogo snorted at that, but said nothing else, shutting his door and driving off back towards the station.

"Well, that was certainly something to cross off your bucket list, Carrots," Nicky smirked as she stepped up next to Judas, the now empty coffee cup still clenched in her paw.

"Huh?"

"You know, arresting the mayor of Zootopia! How're you ever going to top that?" she teased. "Maybe you should just give up now!" Judas rolled his eyes at the vixen's taunt.

"Oh, you'd just _love_ that, wouldn't you? Then I wouldn't be on your tail, chasing you for this crime or that!" he teased back, trying to suppress the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Speaking of which, how are you feeling with so many cops around? I trust you're not _too_ intimidated?"

"Humpf!" Nicky snorted in amusement, "Puh-lease! One look at my badge and they just step aside for me!" she pointed to the crumpled, faded 'Junior Detective' sticker he'd stuck on her shirt that morning. Judas laughed.

"Okay then, Ms. _Junior Detective_ , I think it's time we get going. It's been a long day, and Delgato said there'd be a media conference tomorrow that I would need to attend, so I need to get _some_ rest."

"Certainly, Fluff. I wouldn't want you to miss out on your beauty sleep. After all, you certainly need it!"

"Oh, shut up, Dumb Fox!" Judas snapped lightly, taking off along the bridge. Nicky chuckled in response, mentally chalking up another verbal score against the bunny cop as she walked alongside him.

* * *

Getting through the crowd of media was easier than they'd feared, thanks to several other officers helping to clear them a path, and it wasn't long before they were back in Judas' traffic buggy, heading back towards the city. The trip back was mostly silent as both mammals basked in the hot air blasting through the small heating vents, and reminisced on the insane past two days. Neither wanted to say anything, but both felt comfortable in each other's presence and felt that now that they weren't working on the case, they could end up drifting apart. Judas was the first to break the silence as they approached the place Nicky had asked him to drop her off at.

"You know Nicky, I could never have solved this case without you," he said quietly. "I want you to know that I really appreciate what you've helped me do over the past two days. And… also, to thank you for saving my life today."

"Ha! Don't mention it, Fluff!" Nicky smirked, leaning back in her seat, crossing her arms behind her head. "Now you'll just owe _me_ a favour one day, and boy, do I intend to collect!" Judas stared at her open mouthed in shock as he pulled up outside the run-down apartment building Nicky had directed him to.

"Wha-! No! I can't-"

"Oh, relax Cottontail! It's a joke!" Nicky explained exasperatedly as she climbed out of the buggy.

"Pfft!" Judas huffed. "Not a very funny one, obviously!"

"Whatever you say, Officer Fluff! Goodnight! I'll see you around?"

"Oh, Nicky! Wait a moment!" The vixen paused halfway up the stairs, and turned a quizzical eye back at the rabbit. "Look, I... I was just wondering, you know, since you helped so much, if you'd, um, you know, be at the press conference tomorrow morning?" The rabbit sheepishly scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact, suddenly feeling rather silly thinking that she would even consider coming along to the police station tomorrow.

"Sure. Nine at the station, right?"

"Um, yeah!" he smiled brightly at the vixen, surprised at how easily she'd agreed to come along.

"Okay, see you then, Fluff. G'night!" And with that, she disappeared into the lobby of the apartment complex.

Judas sat in the buggy for several more minutes, staring at the door behind which she'd just vanished, before he shook himself and drove off towards the station to drop the cart off. _'And then home. To sleep!'_ the idea suddenly seemed a lot more appealing than it ever had before.

* * *

 **A.N:**

 **Well, there we go. I hope you felt it still followed the story well, and does its part in the overall development of the characters and story line. I'll be back soon (I hope!) with the long awaited press conference!**

 **P.S.**

 **I have sometimes received reviews questioning if and when I will update. Please keep that up, as sometimes it does help to motivate me knowing that there are actually people out there that enjoy reading my drivel, but please do so as part of your actual account. That way I can actually reply to you and answer your questions. I can't respond personally to 'Guest' reviews, the website doesn't allow it. And besides, never fear! I _will_ finish this story! I refuse to leave it incomplete!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello all! I'm back again! And as usual, I apologise for taking so long to get around to posting this chapter, but Uni took a sudden turn for the busier over the last few weeks, and I've been struggling to find any time to write (or sleep!).**

 **Well, here it is! The chapter that you have all been pestering me about for ages now with the different path this story has been taking at times. I hope it meets all your expectations, because it was quite a bit harder to write than most of the other chapters I've written so far.**

* * *

 _Chapter 15: The Conference_

Nicky gripped her half-empty, paper coffee cup tightly in her right paw as she stared across the park square at the imposing building in front of her. She stood in the shaded entrance of the side street lined with cafes, bakeries and boutique restaurants that she'd walked up. Despite having spent the last forty minutes making her way to the centre of town, she suddenly felt unable to move further. She'd spent her entire adult life keeping away from the law as much as possible, and now here she was, about to _willingly_ walk into the police station. Openly and without any con. It felt…

…right.

The realisation struck her with the force of a kick to the stomach. She staggered slightly, throwing out her left arm to steady herself on the corner of the building beside her. "What is _wrong_ with me?" she gasped under her breath, her strange action earning her a suspicious glance from a passing warthog. She sent him her signature smirk, followed by a wink as she straightened herself up again. The warthog snorted in disdain, and moved off, while Nicky refocussed on the building across the square. She quickly downed the rest of her coffee, silently wishing that it was something a bit stronger to calm her nerves, then struck out boldly towards the heart of the Zootopian Police Department, binning her empty cup along the way.

Although the building was certainly imposing – it practically oozed strength and solidarity – it was also a remarkably attractive building. Much of the external architecture was designed to reflect a natural structure. The steps to the entrance were long and shallow, and rounded like they had been worn by the constant action of the tides. All the support columns and external cladding looked to be sandstone, smoothly cut, and with natural curves worked into them. The entire front of the building that jutted out into the square was circular in design, and the roof was flat, surfaced with real turf, and sported a simple garden courtyard for officers to relax in.

Nicky, however, didn't notice much of the natural beauty of the building that she was approaching, her mind preoccupied with maintaining her usual calm and disinterested demeanour, instead of fleeing the opposite direction as her instincts were screaming at her to do. But this was something she felt she _had_ to do, and it was something she felt may very well change the way she'd live the rest of her life. She wasn't yet sure how, but she felt that she had already changed somehow, and today she was just beginning the physical journey along a new road. She was as scared as hell, but it was the same fear she'd felt sneaking into the Asylum last night. It was intoxicating.

"Hello? Can I help you?" came a tired voice above her. She shook her head, and glanced around. She was inside the central foyer of the ZPD Precinct One, and she didn't even remember walking through the doors.

"Miss?" Her gaze snapped back to see a rather obese cheetah staring down at her from behind the reception desk she was standing at.

"Oh, hello, Ben! Can I call you Ben?" she smiled quickly, taking in the name plate on the desk, and matching the mammal in front of her to the one Judas had called during the whole DMV saga the other day.

"Oh, um, sure. I guess?" he peered closer at the vixen trying to decide if he'd met her before. Nicky endured the silent scrutiny for a moment longer, before resting an elbow on the desk and casually leaning in.

"You seem a little tired there, Benny. Judas told me that you were usually a lot more, uh, enthusiastic," she smirked up at the larger predator.

"Oh, yeah! It was a long night! You wouldn't believe what… Wait! Judas told you about – Oh. Em. Goodness! You're _the_ fox!" the cheetah squealed, suddenly looking much more energised than he had a few moments before.

"Well, I don't know about ' _the_ ' fox," she chirped smugly, "I happen to know _several_ other foxes myself, so-"

"No! Sorry! I mean, you're the fox that helped Judas with the, last night! The missing mammals! The Asylum!" Nicky was beginning to see what Judas had meant when he'd mentioned the feline's bubbly personality. And his tendency to get carried away.

"Slow down, Spots! You might have to give your mouth a speeding ticket if you continue on like that!" Clawhauser clamped his mouth shut and stared wide eyed at the vixen. Just as she began to wonder if her joke had somehow offended him, Ben erupted in raucous laughter.

"Oh! That is… so… _good!_ " he gasped between violent chuckles, "I'm… going to… have to use that… one sometime myself!" he grinned, slowly regaining control of his breathing, although the occasional chuckle still escaped his mouth. Nicky smiled in response, a little shocked at the extent of the response she'd gotten from her lame joke.

"So, miss Wilde, is it?" Ben began again, glancing at a document on his desk to confirm the vixen's name.

"Oh, please just call me Nicky," she waved a paw dismissively.

"Sure, Nicky it is! What can the ZPD do for you today, Nicky?"

"Well, see, there's supposed to be some sort of press conference thing here this morning," she glanced behind her indicating all the reporters and camera crew swarming in and out of the foyer, "and a certain crazy rabbit friend of ours asked me to come along for 'emotional support'." She mimed inverted commas with her paws and rolled her eyes playfully.

"Awww! That's so _sweet_ of you!" Clawhauser crowed, and Nicky froze momentarily. _'Sweet?!'_ her stomach did a back-flip at the thought.

"Ah, really it's nothing! You know, just some friendly encouragement!" she chuckled nervously, secretly glad that her red fur would hide the blush now spreading over her cheeks and up her ears.

"Mmm hmm," Ben nodded, a smug grin fixed on his face.

"You know, just to make sure he doesn't get that fuzzy-wuzzy little tail of his chewed off by the media frenzy!" she tried to redirect the conversation, but it backfired.

"His 'fuzzy-wuzzy little tail'?!" Ben giggled, "just how long have you two known each other?" The cheetah was leaning forward over the desk, head resting in both paws now and a dreamy look on his face.

"Um, I uh, I should really go find Officer Flu- Hopps! Officer Hopps! Where is-"

"Nicky!"

' _About time!_ ' the vixen sighed a silent breath of relief as she turned to see Judas jogging across the marble floor towards her. _'Gee! He certainly doesn't do anything slow, does he?'_ she grinned to herself.

"You came!" he exclaimed as he came to a sudden stop right in front of her, Nicky's practiced eye picking out the slight hesitation as he seemed to hold himself back from a more enthusiastic greeting. _'Was he going to hug me?'_ she wondered briefly before shrugging the thought aside _'Of course not! You barely know the guy!'_

"Well, of course I did!" she smirked back at the rabbit, taking in his wide smile. "What? You thought I'd leave you alone to the sharks?" she jerked a thumb back towards the crowds of media mammals coming and going. Judas' ears, and face, quickly fell at the mention of the coming ordeal. Nicky found the sight surprisingly unsettling.

"Uggh! Don't remind me!" he muttered darkly. "Come on, I think we need to head over there and start getting ready…" he trailed off.

"Oh, don't worry Judes! You'll kill it!" interrupted Ben, surprising both rabbit and fox who'd forgotten they were still at his desk.

"Oh! Thanks Ben," Judas smiled weakly. "Thanks for looking after Nicky too by the way, I hope she wasn't too much trouble?" he smirked, shooting a glance at the vixen next to him. Nicky threw a paw to her chest.

"You wound me, Carrots! I'm no trouble to anyone!" Judas just snorted in disbelief.

"Oh, _no_ , Jude," Ben smiled wickedly. "On the contrary, we were having a really _interesting_ conversation, weren't we, Nicky?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure!" the vixen smiled forcedly, "Didn't you say we needed to get ready, Carrots? Come on, let's go!" She pushed the startled rabbit away from the desk before he could try and find out just what Clawhauser had found so interesting. Instead, he filed away the mystery to be solved another time.

Benjamin Clawhauser propped his head up on one arm as he watched the two smaller mammals walk across the foyer, occasionally pushing or elbowing one another. Nicky's bushy tail swayed lazily from side to side as they walked, occasionally batting the rabbit in the back of his head, earning the vixen another elbow to her side. "Hmm, this could be interesting indeed," he muttered, thinking about how the new gossip would go down in the breakroom. Especially with what he'd heard other officers saying about how they'd found the two the previous night.

* * *

"You look like you slept well, Fluff-but," Nicky said to break the silence that had developed after they reached the large conference room. They were sitting off to one side of the stage that was currently being prepared for the looming press conference.

"Huh?" Judas had been staring off into space, and the vixen's voice suddenly snapped him back to the present.

"I said that you look like you must have slept well last night. I'm never as peppy as you are until I've drunk at least a half-litre of coffee!" she chuckled brightly.

"Ah… hehe…" Judas' ears drooped back again and he reached back to scratch the back of his head. A sure sign, Nicky was quickly learning, that the rabbit was feeling embarrassed about something. She raised an eyebrow at him, demanding an explanation. His shoulders slumped further, and his gaze fell to the floor.

"I, uh… I didn't exactly sleep well last night," he admitted quietly. Nicky's continued silence prompted him to elaborate. "I was, uh, too nervous about the conference to sleep. At all. I tried!" he defended himself to the red fox's narrowing glare. "I really tried, but I just couldn't sleep! I tossed and turned! I just-"

"Cool it, Fluff!" Nicky stood up in front of the now pacing bunny, placing both paws on his shoulders to try and calm him down. "Take a deep breath," she waited while Judas followed her instructions, "now slowly, let it out." Judas visibly relaxed as he did so. He took a few more slow breaths before looking up to meet Nicky's eyes.

"Sorry," he apologised quietly, "I'm just so nervous about this blasted conference. I don't know what I'm going to say! What if I screw up? I don't know what I'm doing, they never trained us for this sort of thing at the academy!"

"Well, how about I give you a quick 'Press Conference 101'?" Nicky smirked, stepping away from the rabbit officer and crossing her arms smugly.

"You? What do you know about press conferences?"

"Haven't you ever watched the news much, Carrots? There are press conferences all the time! You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to pick out a few pointers," she explained airily. "Like this one, for example. When someone asks you a question, don't try to answer their question directly, it's too easy for them to take it out of context. Instead, reply with your own version of their question, then answer that question! Watch and learn!"

Nicky quickly stepped to one side, crouched a little and put on a high pitched squeaky voice, talking to the empty space she had just occupied, "What can you tell us about the case, Officer Hopps?" she mimed holding a microphone out to the empty space in front of her before quickly sidestepping and resuming her normal posture in her original position. "Was it a tough case?" she asked, paw to her chin as if pondering a difficult conundrum. "Yes. Yes, it was." She turned back to a grinning Judas with a slight curtsy, glad that at least some of his nerves seemed to have abated.

"Bravo, Nicky! Bravo!" he teased, clapping slowly. "Or should I say, Officer Hopps? Ha! Maybe you could go up there for me, nobody would know the difference!"

"Well, am I a cop?" she asked sarcastically, half-lidded eyes glimmering with mirth, "No. No, I am not," she continued in character.

"Heh! Funny you should mention that," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow, folded piece of paper. "I was thinking back on the last couple of days, and well, I was thinking that it might be nice to have, you know, a partner. A real one on the force." He unfolded the paper to reveal an application form for the police academy. He handed it to the stunned vixen, grinning widely at the open-mouthed gape she now wore as her eyes flickered back and forth between the form and him. "Here," he held out a pen in one paw, "something to write with."

"I- Carrots- I don't know what-"

"Officer Hopps!" a forced whisper cut across their conversation, and both mammals looked up to see the Assistant Mayor, Dawn Bellweather, beckoning Judas over towards the stage. "It's time!" she whisper-called. Suddenly tuning in to their surroundings again, both rabbit and fox realised that the conference had already started, and Chief Bogo was currently making a statement as to the health of the rescued mammals, and assuring the public that everything conceivable was being done to help them recover. But it sounded like he was beginning to wrap up, and that was Judas' cue to head onto stage.

"Wish me luck!" he crossed his fingers on both paws and grimaced at Nicky.

"You don't need luck," she replied, regaining her own composure, "Just remember-"

" _Hopps!_ " urged Bellweather as the Chief backed down from the podium, announcing the arrival of the rabbit officer to the assembled reporters. With one last glance at Nicky, Judas bounded up onto the stage, and lept up onto the special platform built into the podium so that he could see over it to the microphones and cameras of the mob in front of him. _'Here goes nothing!'_ he groaned inwardly.

* * *

Nicky watched on eagerly from the side of the stage, the crowd of reporters and their camera crews all pressing forward towards the stage as Judas got up to the podium. Questions flew wildly out of the mob, the cacophony of sound washing any rational meaning out of the noise. Judas seemed overwhelmed by the attention and overload of sound. It wasn't until the Chief cleared his throat not-so subtly that the crowd suddenly fell quiet, allowing the rabbit to regain his bearings. He shot a quick glance of appreciation at the towering buffalo before turning back to the crowd and vaguely pointing to a beaver near the front.

"Officer Hopps," he called out eagerly, "What can you tell us about the mammals that have gone savage?"

"I, um, well the, uh," Judas stuttered frantically, again looking to Nicky like he might panic at any second. The rabbit glanced over towards where Nicky stood, pleading for help. _'Come on, Carrots!'_ she willed silently as she gestured with her paw for him to keep going, _'A question for a question!'_ She saw the slight change in his posture, and the tiniest hardening of his gaze that told her he had picked up her meaning.

"Are all these mammals different species?" Officer Hopps turned back to face the swarm of media, but this time with steel in his voice. "Yes. Yes, they are."

Nicky smiled triumphantly, pumping her fist at her protégé's success as the crowd of reporters all started to scribble down notes. She hadn't been sure that the young rabbit would take her advice after all, but at least he seemed to be doing ok for the moment. She turned her attention back to the yellow sheet of paper clasped in her other paw, turning it over again to see the ZPD logo staring her down, and the words _"Employment Application"_ jumping out in bold text. She chuckled at the audacity of the rabbit she'd known for less than a week. She'd spent so long on the other side of the law that even the thought that she could possibly switch sides so completely was absurd! Yet she didn't let go of the form. Or the pen. Her eyes scrolled over the form, most of the information they were asking for seemed pretty standard anyway. Name. Age. Weight. Height. Species… _'Well, they probably wouldn't accept a fox anyway,'_ she thought sourly, penning that three-letter word onto the page in defiance.

An image came unbidden to her mind of Judas standing tall and proud in his uniform, arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his muzzle as he watched the street he stood by. _'Nobody thought they'd accept a rabbit…'_ she mused, looking back at the form more intently. _'Wait, am I actually considering this?'_ her eyes widened in shock as she realised that she was. For the second time that morning she was rocked by the decisions her unconscious seemed to have made without her.

The past 48 hours came flooding back like a tidal wave of emotion and energy. But it wasn't the near-death experiences, or even the arrest that stuck out most. It was the small moments. Putting insignificant clues together. Tracking them down one after the other until they found the missing mammals. The satisfaction of knowing that those sick mammals would finally be getting the help they needed. She felt shame that her past with the Big family had nearly cost them both their lives, but pride in how she had decided to keep helping the rabbit when she hadn't needed to. That was part of it too. She could have left before they even got in trouble with Mr. Big, but she'd chosen to stay. _Why?_ She answered the question herself, before she'd even finished asking it.

"It felt _right_!" she whispered to herself.

The same sense of correctness and security that had washed over her this morning flooded over her again as she uttered those words. She realised that for the first time in a _very_ long time, she felt at home. She felt like she belonged out on the streets. Not as the con woman and hustler she'd been trying to convince herself she was. Not hurting other mammals, or scamming them out of a few dollars, but _protecting_ them! She wanted to follow the clues, chase down the 'bad guys' and be what she'd always wanted to be. To be what her mother had always told her she could be.

 _Better._

She returned her attention to the paper in her paw, determination glinting in her eyes as she began filling in each field. No lies. No half-truths. Just the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

In her mind, a uniformed vixen sauntered up to the rabbit cop, leaning casually on his shoulder. A pair of aviator glasses hiding her emerald green eyes, and a wide grin filling up the rest of her muzzle.

* * *

"Are all these mammals different species?" Judas stared down the many-faced beast that was the media in front of him, putting on a confident voice when he felt anything but inside. _'You'd better be right about this Nicky,'_ he thought, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Yes. Yes, they are." Judas watched in amazement as the throng before him all quickly bent to jot notes down on pads of paper. There was nothing new or special about his simple statement, yet all these mammals seemed to be hanging on to his words like they were drops of pure, clear water in an endless desert.

"Well then, what is the connection between these cases?" called out a lioness near the back.

"Have we determined what has made all these mammals go savage?" Judas asked, trying to stick with Nicky's advice as much as possible. "At this stage, no. We haven't found any direct cause yet." His words were met with noises of disappointment and mutterings with the standard non-answer. _'Oh-oh,'_ Judas watched as several of the reporters near the back started to turn as if to leave, _'I'm losing them!'_

"All we do know," he called out quickly, recapturing the audience's attention, "is that all of the savage mammals are part of the predator family."

"So, predators are the only ones going savage?" called a rather bug-eyed ram from the front row.

' _Well,'_ Judas frowned to himself for a second, _'I might not have put it in exactly those words myself, but…'_

"Yes. Yes, I guess that's accurate." The rabbit did feel good at least that he was now actually answering some of the questions being thrown at him with some certainty. He turned to face the next questioner, an excited male pig from ZNN.

"Why? Why is this happening?"

"We, uh, we still don't really know…" Judas trailed off apologetically as the mutterings from before were suddenly magnified tenfold. He could detect definite notes of disappointment, uncertainty, and… fear? He felt like he needed to give them something, he couldn't possibly be expected to send them all off without some kind of answer. His mind began racing through events from the last few days, trying to spot any kind of connection between the cases.

' _Mystic Oasis? No, don't even go there. DMV? Definitely not. Mr Big? No. Manchas? Maybe? He said Otterton mentioned Night Howlers? The wolves. But that led us to the Asylum and Lionheart. And the doctor! She said something about –'_

"Biology!" Judas called out suddenly, startling most of the crowd of reporters, who now all turned to him with questioning gazes. Judas cleared his throat self-consciously before starting again in a more professional tone, "Well, as we established, only predators seem to have been affected by this 'savagery', so It's reasonable to assume that there is a biological component to what is happening."

"Biology? You mean like something in their DNA?" called an antelope reporter.

"Yes," Judas confirmed. "As I'm sure we all know, thousands of years ago, predatory mammals survived through aggressive hunting instincts. For whatever reason, these mammals," Judas gestured behind him to the TV screens. They were showing crime scene photographs of the currently savage mammals he had helped to rescue the night before in all their raw detail, "seem to be reverting to their primitive, savage, selves. We don't know exactly what is causing them to revert. It could be some virus, or contaminant, or even a built-in biological response to something or other."

"So, it could happen again?" questioned the rather nervous looking pig from ZNN.

"It is certainly possible," Judas answered somberly, "But that is why we, here at the ZPD, are ready and willing to serve and protect."

"What is being done to prevent–"

"Have you considered a mandatory quarantine on all predators—"

"Will more predators go savage—"

The questions from the crowd came flying thick and fast as they all shuffled in closer to the rabbit officer, who suddenly felt like he was being cornered. Luckily, the assistant mayor chose that moment to jump to Judas' rescue.

"Okay, that's all for now. No more questions!" she ignored the groans of disappointment as she led Judas back down from the podium.

"How'd I do?" Judas asked quietly of the ewe once they were out of the sight of the reporters.

"Oh, you did great, Officer Hopps!" Dawn smiled gently at the rabbit.

* * *

"Biology!"

That one word caused Nicky's ears to perk up in interest. She looked up from the form she'd been filling in diligently as Judas continued speaking.

"Well, as we established, only predators seem to have been affected by this 'savagery', so It's reasonable to assume that there is a biological component to what is happening."

' _What on Earth is he saying?!'_ she fumed silently, the fur on the back of her neck beginning to bristle. Nicky stood up from where she'd been filling out the form and walked slowly around towards the side of the crowd. She could already see some of them shuffling around nervously, worry and fear etched onto many faces as they stared up, transfixed on the large screens behind the stage. Nicky looked up to see the faces of the savage mammals staring down at her. But it wasn't the aggression in their eyes, or the snarling mouths that caught her attention. It was the muzzles. The ropes tied around their necks. Police mammals pinning the struggling mammals to the ground.

Suddenly it wasn't savage mammals she was seeing. It was her younger self. The gang of other young girls were pinning her down again while their laughter roared in her ears, drowning out the crowd of mammals around her. Panic began to build inside her as the fear, humiliation and anger of that night flooded back, overwhelming her usual control. Her heart was pounding a deafening beat in her chest, and she was panting hard just to try and stay upright. Stephanie's grinning face hung in front of her, and mocking voices rising out of Nicky's memories.

" _Did you really think that we would just accept_ you _?"_

" _You're a fox!"_

" _Everyone knows you can't trust a fox!"_

Nicky's paw shot up to her snout to rip away the muzzle, but found only fur instead. She blinked in surprise, finding herself back in the ZPD headquarters. She wasn't a teen fox. There was no muzzle. No danger.

"But that is why we, here at the ZPD, are ready and willing to serve and protect."

Nicky looked back at the rabbit officer on the podium as he finished up, ducking away from the storm of questions being hurled his way. She crossed her arms across her chest, drumming the fingers of her right paw on her left arm as she watched the rookie officer bound over to her.

"Wow! That was certainly a rush!" he smiled when he stopped in front of her. "Everything just went so quickly! I didn't even get a chance to mention you, or talk about how we—"

"Oh, I think you said more than enough." Judas froze at the unexpectedly chilly tone his friend used.

"Sorry? I don't think I follow?"

"'It's reasonable to assume that there is a biological component'? What the hell did you even mean by that?" her frigid tone betraying the calm exterior she was projecting. Judas looked up at her, still confused, but now also slightly irritated.

"Well, like I said, only predators have gone savage—"

"So far. Or that we know of," Nicky cut in.

"Well, I don't exactly see any squirrels, mice, or, heck, _rabbits_ going savage around here!" Judas waved his arms about at the busy room for emphasis, growing more frustrated with the vixen in front of him with every passing second

"I don't see _anyone_ going savage here, _Officer_! But you've just gone and told everyone that any predator could suddenly go nuts and try to kill them!"

"That's because they _could_! I'm just giving them the warning they all needed!"

"Any predator?" Nicky asked quietly, "Including me?

"I… Nicky, I didn't—"

"Is that why you still carry that fox repellent on your belt?" she pointed at the offending item sitting on Judas' hip. The rabbit's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth dropped open as he looked down to see the tiny pink canister. He'd completely forgotten he still had it on him.

"Are you worried that I might attack?" Nicky snarled and raised her paws, claws extended for emphasis. "That I might go savage?" She leaned in closer, noticing Judas' nose starting to twitch. "Are you afraid that I might _claw_ you!?" As she said the word 'claw', Nicky suddenly lunged in closer to the rabbit. The reaction was immediate. With a gasp of fright, Judas sprung back a step from the snarling fox, left paw held in front to slow any advance, and his right already had the innocent looking bottle of fox repellent at the ready. It was purely instinctive, and that surprised Judas even more than the speed in which he'd reacted.

"Huh! Just as I'd thought" Nick snorted in disappointment, casually relaxing her stance. "I'm not really your friend. I'm just some 'project' fox," Nicky turned away from the shame-faced rabbit. "Someone you thought that you could change to make yourself feel better. A token to make you feel like you'd gotten past your stupid prejudices! Well guess what? You can go find another schmuck to make you feel better about yourself!" She scrunched up the yellow application form in one fist. "Just when I thought I'd finally found someone that I could _trust_ ," she muttered darkly. "It certainly didn't take you long to go back on your word, did it, _Judas_. Never betray my trust? Pah! Your name is certainly appropriate for someone like you!"

"Nicky! I never meant—" Judas was interrupted as the scrunched-up application form bounced off his face.

"You won't be needing _that_ either," Nicky sneered. "Probably best if you didn't have a _predator_ as a partner," and with that, Nicky stormed past Judas, making for the exit.

"Nicky! Wait!" Judas called out desperately, turning to follow the fox on her way out of the door. "Please! I didn't mean it like that! I'm so—"

"Officer Hopps! Did that fox just go savage?" interrupted the beaver reporter from earlier, stepping right in front of the rabbit. Judas tried to sidestep him, but was blocked by a rabbit reporter.

"Did she just threaten you?" she demanded. Judas again tried to get past the reporters, but now he was thoroughly hemmed in on three sides by reporters and camera crews, preventing him following after the departing vixen.

"No, of course not! She's my friend!" he retorted angrily, trying to push through the dense mass of mammals blocking his way. Through a gap between a moose and a giraffe, she caught a final glimpse of Nicky throwing something else on the ground. And then she was gone.

"We can't even trust our own friends now?" persisted the rabbit doe, pressing her microphone back under Judas' nose.

"Now, look here!" Judas snapped, turning his attention to the doe. She stepped back a pace involuntarily seeing the anger flaring in his eyes. "That fox has helped me—"

"ENOUGH!"

That one word seemed to hang in the air far longer than should be possible, especially in the deathly silence that followed it.

"No more interviews today," Chief Bogo declared grimly, marching across the room with the Assistant Mayor by his side. The buffalo fixed Judas with a cold stare as he approached, sending a shiver down the rabbit's spine. "The ZPD will release further details about the case when _I_ deem it fit to. Now, you may all feel _free_ to leave as soon as you like." Needless to say, the conference room was empty in very short order, leaving just the Chief, Assistant Mayor, and a very morose rabbit officer alone.

"Well, that could've gone better," Bogo huffed down at Judas.

"Or it could've gone very much worse," disagreed Bellweather brightly. "For a first-time press conference, I think Officer Hopps here did a wonderful job!" She patted the rabbit on the back supportively. Bogo snorted derisively.

"Don't they teach you how to handle the media at the academy anymore?" he asked Judas.

"Hmm? What?" Judas looked up from the ground he'd been staring at. "Oh. No, they didn't sir."

"Pah! Well, I think that's about to change very soon!" And with that he turned and marched back towards his office, muttering darkly to himself.

"Don't worry, Judas. I think you did fine!" Dawn smiled sweetly at the buck, resting one hoof on his shoulder, but after a few moments without much of a response, she sighed, and also walked away, leaving the sullen officer to his own thoughts.

Judas stood there for a moment more, before realising he was alone again, sighing deeply, he turned and began plodding slowly towards the exit. _'You dumb, stupid bunny!'_ he berated himself, _'What the hell were you thinking?! How could you possibly say something like that?'_ Just as he reached for the door handle, a glint of reflected sunlight caught his eye. He paused, then bent down to pick up the crumpled piece of shiny rubbish. Without even thinking, he slowly unfolded it to reveal the 'Junior Detective' sticker he'd given Nicky the previous morning, now all ruined and torn. Like his soul.

That final scrap was all it took for the flood gates to open, and tears began pouring down his cheeks. "What have I done?" he sobbed breathlessly, collapsing to the floor. "Oh, God, what have I _done_!"

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Well, there we go. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on whether that fitted both this story, and the original well enough for you. I will try to get the next chapter out ASAP as I've got a week's break coming up shortly, but again, I can't promise you anything as I'll probably disappoint you all (and myself!) again. Thank you all for sticking with me all this time anyway! It really means a lot to me to know that there are people out there who actually enjoy reading my drivel! I hope you all have a great day/night wherever you are!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:**

 **I think I'll forgo my usual note and let you dive right in! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 16. I'm not a hero._

" _Rush hour in Savannah Central was transformed into a stampede this morning as a giraffe became the latest victim of the city's growing savagery crisis. Witnesses confirmed that the normal hustle and bustle of the morning rush was shattered by screams of pain and terror when an unnamed wolf suddenly attacked Langley Stevenson, a giraffe that works at a nearby accounting firm. Several passing bison rushed to Mr Stevenson's aid and were able to restrain the savage wolf until authorities could arrive. Stevenson was taken to hospital in a serious condition with multiple bites to his legs, but is expected to make a full recovery. One of the bison was also treated for claw wounds at the scene. Concern is spreading amongst the community as the third incident in four days indicates that the number of attacks seem to be increasing. We at Zoo-fm will keep you update—"_

Judas swatted the button on his bedside radio, silencing the radio host's voice, making his tiny apartment suddenly feel very large in its absence.

"Hey, Bunny! Turn that back on! We were listening to that!" came an angry voice through the wall. Judas couldn't tell if it was Bucky or Pronk.

"He can turn it off if he wants to! It's his radio!" retorted the other occupant of the adjacent apartment, possibly Bucky, Judas thought sourly.

"But I want to know if I'm going to get attacked the next time I go down the street!"

"Oh, shut up! The radio's not going to tell you that!"

"Yeah? How do you know that? They might just—"

"If you don't both shut up, _right now_ , the next attack won't be coming from some savage animal down the street!" Judas yelled back through the wall, catching both antelopes by surprise. Usually the rabbit was quiet and peaceful. This new rabbit seemed anything but to them. "It'll be right _here_ , right _now_!"

Complete silence flooded the apartment in the wake of Judas' threat, neither of the two friends daring to test their neighbour further. Even the traffic outside seemed muted.

"Crikey! Was that the bunny cop downstairs?"

Judas' ears rotated upwards, barely catching the soft voice of the Quokka living in the apartment above him in the otherwise deathly silence.

"Zip it, Bruce! What if he hears ya?" hissed the voice of his wife, even quieter.

Judas shook his head and slumped into his chair at the desk. He felt a little bad for losing his temper like that, but the peace and quiet that followed was what he'd been wanting all day. The past week had been hell for him, and he was looking all the worse for it. His eyes were red and bloodshot from lack of sleep, and his ears were permanently plastered to the back of his head. His normally well-groomed fur was unkempt, and slightly greasy. Worst of all, Judas had started losing weight. That was always a dangerous sign for a rabbit, but especially so for one as fit and lean as Judas was. He simply didn't have the spare grams to lose.

Judas knew he was in bad shape, but he just didn't care anymore. Ever since he realised just how royally he'd screwed up the press conference, he had progressively sunk further into depression. Just that afternoon on the train home from work he'd noticed several prey mammals flinching away from every large predator that got too close. The memory of a rabbit doe pulling her kit close when a tiger sat down beside them particularly hurt. He knew it was his fault. He'd gotten caught up in the adrenaline of the moment, and hadn't paused to think about the possible ramifications from spurting his internal thoughts and theories out for the world to hear.

"Talk about being a Dumb Bunny," he muttered darkly, just as his phone began buzzing. Judas flipped it over, revealing the bright picture of his parents requesting to muzzletime. He rejected the call, and buried his head in his arms on the desk with a sigh. _'Why can't everybody just leave me alone!'_ he griped as his phone started ringing again. Again, he rejected his parent's call. And a third time. Then a fourth. Each time they rang he got more and more frustrated, the scowl on his face deepening until it was almost predatory. But his parents seemed to get the message eventually. He went back to moping on his desk.

" _Ding!"_

"Ugggh! What _now_?" he grumbled, reaching for his phone again to see who the text was from. It was his sister, Irene. Sighing, he swiped the screen to read what it said.

" _You'd better answer my call, brother. Or else."_

No sooner than he'd read the message, his phone began ringing again. But this time, the screen showed the laughing face of his brown furred sister. Finally giving in, he accepted the call, replacing the bright photo on the screen with a much angrier version of his sister.

"What?" he demanded shortly.

"Don't you _dare_ 'What' me Judas Larry Hopps! What the hell is wrong with you? Mom and Dad are in hysterics! I barely held them back from driving straight to the city just now! You haven't answered any of their calls for a _week_! We've been worried sick!" Judas shrunk back from the verbal thrashing he was receiving from his older sister.

"Sorry, Irene. I just didn't feel like talking to them much at the moment," he replied sheepishly, starting to realise just how much that might have upset his parents. _'Chalk it up to being Dumb Bunny again,'_ he berated himself.

"Didn't _feel_ like talking to them?!" Irene snapped angrily. "Didn't _feel_ like it? I'll tell you what you—Judas?" Her sudden change in tone caught Judas by surprise, and he leaned in closer to the screen, eliciting a gasp of shock from his sister. "Judas, what happened to you?" she demanded, this time concern and worry filled her voice.

"Huh? What? No, I'm fine," Judas straightened himself up in his seat and tried to smile at his sister. It came off more like a grimace. Irene just eyeballed him, letting him know he wasn't fooling her at all.

"When was the last time you slept, Jude?" she inquired softly.

"I, ah. I'm not really sure," Judas admitted, refusing to make eye contact, "I think I got a few hours on Thursday."

"Judas! That was three days ago! Please tell me what's going on!" Judas sat still for a moment in response to Irene's plea, just staring into her pleading eyes. He took a deep breath, and then let out a shuddering sob.

"It's all my fault!" he barely whispered, tears streaking down his cheeks, leaving dark tracks in his fur. "I've ruined everything!"

"What are you talking about?" Irene asked, confusion etched onto her face, "You're the one who found all the missing mammals and warned everyone what was happening! You're a hero!"

"Hmmppf! I may have _helped_ to find the missing mammals, but I screwed up at the conference! Now mammals are getting frightened, and causing all sorts of trouble because I couldn't keep my blasted mouth shut!"

"What do you mean? I thought you said at the conference—"

"I know what I said!" Judas snapped at his sister, before suddenly softening his gaze. "Sorry. I guess I'm just angry at myself. I shouldn't've taken it out on you." He rubbed his scratchy eyes with one paw. "I suppose it'll all make more sense if I tell you the whole story," he sighed softly, his anger having all faded away.

"I think that might be a good idea," Irene agreed gently. And so, Judas spent the next half hour recounting the past few weeks, paying special attention to the missing mammal case, and how Nicky had been such an invaluable help, and a good friend to him. How they had slowly gone from disliking and distrusting each other, to protecting each other as they had hunted down the series of loose clues that had led them to the Asylum. He did gloss over some of the grislier details of their several near-death experiences, but he had a feeling that Irene picked up on more than he told her. However, when it came to the aftermath of the conference, and his fight with Nicky, he broke down in tears again. It took the chocolate coloured bunny several minutes to console her distraught brother.

Eventually he was able to continue on, telling her how the next few days had been busy. He had been awarded commendations for both the missing mammal case, and for averting disaster in Little Rodentia at a formal dinner with the newly sworn in Mayor Bellweather and other dignitaries. He'd tried to refuse them, but both the new mayor, and his chief had insisted strongly, forcing the rabbit officer to sit through hours of draining media attention and sleep inducing speeches. Then, after that, Chief Bogo upheld his end of their bargain by sending Judas out with the squads of officers being sent out to monitor the protests beginning to spring up all over the city. Prey mammals were getting scared, and many were just looking for some kind of action to be taken to prevent the few public attacks that had taken place.

It was during one of these that Judas had been forced to stand back and watch as several prey mammals began hurling verbal abuse at passing predators. That day had shaken him to the core. He glanced over to the corner of his room where several large beer bottles lay piled up, a reminder of the last time he'd managed to get any rest. And of the headache he'd suffered the following morning.

"And so, now you see why it's all my fault," Judas explained sadly. "If I'd just been more careful, and listened to Nicky's advice, things might be very different now. But instead, the city's in shambles, and Nicky'll never forgive me." His shoulders sagged further, and he stared down at the desk.

"Judas… I'm sorry. I didn't realise how tough this has been on you," Irene almost sounded as if she were about to break into tears as well. "Did you… Have you tried talking to her?"

"Hmpf! Yeah, the very next morning I went around to her apartment building to try and apologise. But the landlady refused to let me up without a warrant, even though I told her it was personal business. After I said that, she laughed and told me that Nicky didn't want to have anything further to do with me. I left a message with my number for her, but she never replied. I guess that's what I deserve for betraying my best friend."

"Jude, I don't know Nicky at all, but if she's any kind of friend, she'll realise you made a mistake, and she'll forgive you. It might take some time, but if she feels your apology is genuine, which I'm sure she will, then she will forgive you. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. It's how we learn from them, and grow that defines who we are."

"You really think she might forgive me?" Judas asked his sister, pain and hope mixed in equal portions on his face.

"I certainly hope so, little brother. But in the meantime," Irene's voice hardened suddenly, causing Judas' ears to perk up slightly, "you need to stop moping around! Look at you! You're a mess! Go for a shower, and get some rest! You're Zootopia's first Bunny Cop! Its time you started acting the part! Tomorrow morning, you are _going_ to get out there and start making the city a better place!"

"You're right," Judas sat up a little straighter, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth up ever so slightly. "I can't just sit around and do nothing! This is _my_ mess, and by every green plant under the sun, I'm going to fix it!"

"Um, that's not exactly what I meant, Judas."

"Thanks, sis! I feel much better now! I've gotta go and get some rest now! I've got a big day ahead of me tomorrow!" He moved to end the call.

"Judas, wait!" His finger paused above the end call icon, and he raised a questioning eyebrow at his sister. She sighed, "Get something to eat too, Jude. You look too thin."

"Sure thing, Irene! Tell Mom and Dad I'm sorry, and I love them. I'll call them soon!"

"Okay. Bye Jude," Irene replied, worried that her brother might be getting himself into a bigger problem if he thought he could fix everything by himself. But at least he wasn't as depressed anymore, right?

"Bye!" Judas hung up with a smile. He _was_ going to make a difference. He _was_ going to fix this. He _was_ going to earn Nicky's forgiveness. All he needed now was a little rest, and some food. His stomach growled in agreement, and he opened his bar fridge to feed his newly returned appetite. Yep, tomorrow was a new day, and he was going to make it a brighter one.

* * *

" _A black bear went savage on the train this morning, trashing the carriage and landing four mammals in hospital..."_

" _A caribou is in a serious condition this afternoon after a mauling by a savage Polar Bear at a shopping mall in Tundra Town. This is the twenty-seventh such attack…"_

" _Anti-predator protests turned violent at Fountain Park today when opposing sides refused to back down. Police were called in and forced to resort to tear gas to supress the violence…"_

" _Some twenty-five thousand prey mammals marched upon City Hall at midday today, demanding that the city take decisive action on the savage crisis sweeping across the city. Many were calling for the reintroduction of the Tame Collar program from more than thirty years ago. This latest demand has sparked further anger and distrust on both sides of the debate…"_

" _Pop star, Gazelle's Peace Rally today was crashed by more protestors demanding predators leave the city. They were fuelled by the news of yet another two savage attacks yesterday, one of which occurred at a school, leaving several children with serious injuries…"_

* * *

Judas sat in his office cubicle, typing away at his report on the Savage Mammals case, as it was now known. He'd assumed that he would have finished with it once the missing mammals were found, but with each of them still locked away in medical isolation, along with each of the now daily new savages, new details kept coming to light that had to be included. The report was well over a hundred pages in length including all arrest and processing forms, not to mention all the arrest statements from different officers.

Judas was adding an update on the condition of the mammals, particularly Mr Otterton, found at the Asylum. He'd been sent to visit the newly renovated psychiatric wing of Zootopian Central Hospital where they were being held to see if the doctors had been able to find any cause for their behaviour. His mind flashed back to the previous afternoon. He had been silently padding down the corridor when he'd run into Mrs Otterton staring through the thick glass window at the restrained animal that used to be her husband. The pain and fear in her eyes had nearly caused him to tear up again, and he'd had to excuse himself before long, rushing outside to suck in deep breaths of fresh air.

He shook his head do dispel the disturbing memory. "Focus!" he whispered to himself. "Just write the report. Don't think too much about it. Just…" he sighed deeply, "Just do your job." He began tapping away at the keys again, studiously trying his best to force any feelings that surfaced down again. But that was becoming harder and harder each day. With each new news report of more attacks. More violence. More protests.

He'd managed to stay positive for the next few days after speaking with his sister, but after being called to an attack first hand, his control had faltered again. Not because the attack had left any prey dead, or even injured. Quite the opposite. This attack had been assault. A gang of young prey mammals of several different species had set upon a wolf couple walking home one night. The wolves had done nothing to provoke the attack, but the gang had simply seen two predators and decided to 'encourage' them to leave town.

The escalation of hate crimes starting to appear in the city in response to the crisis tore at Judas' heart, and the fact that the news hadn't even seen fit to mention the deplorable act made him furious. From then he'd volunteered to be on the front line of every crowd control assignment, and every public 'peace-keeping' patrol. From there, he'd only seen things getting worse. The violence, the hate, the sheer pointlessness of it all weighing down on him again. He fought back the depression that was again crowding in around the corners of his mind by focusing solely on his job. He was a cop because cops _helped_ people. They kept people safe, and so he would keep on keeping on, and surely things would get better. At least that's what he had been telling himself.

He shook his head, realising he'd allowed himself to become distracted again, and returned his focus to his report. The doctors had finally managed to provide the first bit of interesting medical data on the savage predators. Brain scans were showing dramatically reduced functioning in the reasoning centres of the brain, whilst the hypothalamus showed heightened levels of activity, stimulating the release of a plethora of different hormones. Of particular interest was the hormone corticosterone, long associated with aggressive behaviour. The doctors had managed to administer medication to a couple of the savage patients that reduced their corticosterone levels and reduce the violent behaviour. Unfortunately, the effects were only temporary, and the afflicted mammals still remained in a wild and primitive state, not seeming to recover their higher brain functions. Judas hoped that effect wouldn't be permanent.

He was just adding the last few sentences to his update when approaching hoof-steps announced the arrival of his boss. He waited until Bogo knocked gently on the wall of the cubicle, before turning around, as he'd always been taught was polite.

"How can I help you sir?" he asked softly, feeling that volume and excitement wasn't really the most appropriate in the current climate. Bogo evidently felt much the same.

"Come with me, Hopps," he replied in kind, "The Mayor wants to see you."

"Again? What for this time?" Judas asked with confusion, and some slight apprehension. Mayor Bellweather was too friendly with him for his liking. She would always contrive to be as close to him as she could whenever he was around. He thought back to his award dinner that she had insisted on. The ewe had sat very close to the already uncomfortable rabbit, and took every opportunity she could to pat his arm, brush his paw with her hoof, or to lean up against him. It was a rather unusual experience for Judas as very few girls back home had ever shown much interest in him, most put off by his single-minded determination and fiery spirit, which was rather strange in a rabbit. So it had taken him a while to realise that the Mayor was _interested_ in him, and the thought didn't give him much comfort, given how he didn't feel at all attracted to her.

"Apparently, you've arrived," Bogo answered cryptically, turning and slowly walking off down the hall. Judas got up and followed his chief through the maze of cubicles towards the front entrance of the ZPD headquarters. However, as they passed the front reception desk, Judas froze at the sight in front of him.

"Ben? What's going on?"

The cheetah looked up sadly from where he was standing behind his desk, and seeing Judas, he looked back down to the box of items he was slowly filling.

"Oh, it's you, Hopps," he sniffled, clearly upset, placing the Gazelle mug in his paw into the box.

"What are you doing," Judas asked again, trotting up to the desk as he watched the chubby receptionist slowly packing more of his desktop paraphernalia away.

"They, um… It was decided that a-a _predator_ is not the first face that mammals want to see when walking into the ZPD," he explained sourly, still avoiding eye contact with the bunny. He placed his name plate in the top of the box, and picked it up. "They're moving me to records. Its downstairs. Next to the boiler." The receptionist turned and walked further into the building, studiously avoiding looking at the rabbit as he left. Judas stared silently after his retreating co-worker, one he'd come to consider a friend, processing what had just happened. Obviously Ben was upset, and he seemed to blame Judas for at least part of the problem. Not that Judas could blame him. His nose began to twitch as he fought off tears again.

"Hopps!" Bogo called from the front door. With a sigh, Judas caught up with the chief, and they set out for City Hall together.

* * *

"I don't get it? What's this all supposed to be about?" Judas put down the small poster he was holding, his own beaming smile staring back at him. Mocking him. The background was of the ZPD logo superimposed on the landscape of the city with the caption: 'ZPD – here to Serve and Protect'.

"Well," Dawn Bellweather smiled across the desk at the confused rabbit, "Zootopia is ninety percent prey mammals, Judas. And right now, they're all scared. They need something, _someone_ , to look to for security. That's why Chief Bogo, and I, thought we'd have these made so that everyone can have someone to look up to."

"Yes, but why me?" Judas looked back down at the propaganda poster, feeling sick to his stomach. He'd never felt like such a fraud as he did right now.

"You're a hero to these mammals, Judas! Everyone looks up to you for what you've done in such a short time!"

"But… I'm not." Judas looked up to see the confused look on the Mayor's face. "I'm not a hero."

"Sure, you are! You saved all those mammals in Little Rodentia. And then you found all those poor predators at the Asylum, who're getting the treatment they need because of you! _And_ you warned every one of the Savage danger before it struck!"

"But, that's just it, ma'am. What I told the media caused all that trouble out there!" He gestured out the window to the city beyond. Memories of the protests, riots, hate and prejudice from the last month came flooding back to him. "You say that the ZPD is here to serve and protect?" he asked, picking up the poster again. "Yet, all I've done is break this city down. All I ever wanted was to help make the world a better place, but I've only gone and screwed it up!"

"Don't give yourself so much credit, Hopps," Bogo spoke up for the first time. "The world's always been a messed up place, and this city's no different. That's why we need good cops. Like you." The admission from the stony-faced police chief startled Judas, and warmed his heart a little. But the poster laying on the desk caught his eye again, and the reality of the chaos unfolding out in the city came crashing back down on him in a heartbeat. He knew he was to blame for a significant portion of it.

"I'm sorry, Chief, but good cops don't make the mistakes I have. I—" he choked back a sob as he reached up to his chest. "I don't deserve to wear this badge," he whispered, unclipping it from his uniform and laying it on the desk.

"Hopps, everyone makes mistakes…" Bogo began, but trailed off as Dawn spoke up.

"Judas! What are you doing! You've worked your entire life for this! Don't give up now!" she sounded genuinely upset as Judas slowly stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not who you think I am," he pointed at the offensive poster. "Thank you for the opportunity to try." With that, he turned and walked out of the office, leaving the Police Chief and Mayor gaping silently at the door.

* * *

"Hi, Mom," Judas held the phone to his ear with his shoulder, his paws otherwise busy packing his few possessions back into the suitcase he'd brought them in just over a month ago. "Yeah, I'm okay. Can you be at the station in a couple of hours? I'm coming home. No, to stay. Yes. Look, I'll explain it when I get home. I don't really feel like explaining everything over the phone. Thanks. See you then. Love you too." He sighed, and ended the call, slipping the phone into his pocket. Judas took one last glance around the room to make sure he hadn't left anything behind. Although he'd only been living here for just over a month, the tiny room had come to represent his new life in the city. The realisation of his dreams. It was his new home, and he was giving it all up. His shoulders sagged further than they already were, and he picked up his bag, heading for the door.

"Hey, Bunny Cop?" one of his noisy called through the wall. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah," Judas replied, loud enough to be heard clearly, "you won't have to worry about some crazy rabbit threatening to beat you up any more," he joked weakly. Silence was all he received for a moment.

"We'll miss you, Jude," came the other voice sullenly. Judas was pretty certain it was Bucky this time. He thought it was a strange comment, until he realised, that he would miss them too. They could be loud and obnoxious most of the time, but at least they provided free entertainment, and helped to lighten his mood just by listening to their stupid arguments.

"I'll miss you guys too," he answered softly as he left the apartment door, knowing as he did so, that he was giving up more than just his dream job, but his new life as well. Sighing one last time, he squared his shoulders and set off towards the train station to catch the next train to Bunnyburrow.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Well, I hope you felt like that chapter flowed well enough. I struggled a little bit to condense weeks of strife and conflict into the one chapter whilst still maintaining the flow and feel of the story as a whole, so let me know where you think I could improve. Also, I'd like to thank everyone for your continued support and encouragement with this story. Its reached over a hundred followers, and knowing that there's that many of you out there who actually like reading this really brightens my day. I'd especially like to thank MaryMorante, who has recently published a drawing she did of Judas and Nicky enjoying a romantic picnic together. Although its not yet cannon to this story, I will try and include it somewhere down the line. Besides, I'm sure that many of you can probably tell by now that I'm a hopeless WlideHopps shipper :P Go check it out on MaryMorante's Deviant Art profile!**

 **P.S.**

 **As a science/engineering student, I cannot help but reference important information when I use it in my stories to give credit to the researchers who often spend years studying phenomena with very little to show for it. I know this is not a scientific report and nobody is going to care if I do or don't reference information, but I do. The reference to the hormone corticosterone, comes from an online article published by the American Psychological Association, titled: "Hormones, stress and aggression-a vicious cycle" by RACHEL ADELSON, November 2004, Vol 35, No. 10. An intriguing article examining the possible link between certain hormones and violent behaviour in rats, and how it may translate to human aggression.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:**

 **"Here you go. Chew on this!"**

 ***Slowly backs away, hands raised in surrender***

* * *

 _Chapter 17:_ Dusk Swiftly Falling

"Morning Carol" Nicky yawned, stepping out of the elevator into the lobby of her apartment building.

"Oh! Nicky!" The dingo behind the screened off reception desk jumped in surprise at the greeting. She quickly folded her paws over the desk in front of her and smiled widely at the vixen, "Hi! How're you this morning?"

"I'm good, thanks," Nicky answered slowly. Something was clearly up with Carol. That smile was _way_ too broad, and her tone slightly too cheerful. Not to mention her reaction when Nicky had entered. She may have spent years honing her talent for reading mammals, but Nicky could've been deaf and blind, and she still would've known something was up.

"That's great! So, what're you doing today? Working again? I haven't seen you the last few days. Have you been out of town? How's you—"

"What's going on, Carol?" Nicky cut off the rambling dingo midsentence.

"What? Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!" she tittered nervously, trying to avoid Nicky's penetrating stare. She didn't last very long. "Fine," she sighed defeatedly, glancing sheepishly back up at the red fox in front of her desk. "It was just some jerk of a bloke that just came in. He'd said and done some pretty hurtful things recently, and he wanted to 'apologise', thinking that everything would be fine again. He even gave me a note with his number on it and everything!" Carol waved a piece of paper in the air that her paws had just been covering on the desk. She then began to methodically shred the note without showing Nicky what was written on it.

"Hmph! Some guys are just utter jerks, aren't they," Nicky smiled sadly, watching the scraps of paper fall to Carol's desk. "You think they're different, that they care, and then…" she trailed off as she stared blankly into empty space. Carol shifted in her seat as the uncomfortable silence dragged on. Eventually, she shook herself back to reality. "Um, anyway, I should be off. Work and all that, you know."

"Sure! Hope the day goes well!"

"Thanks, Carol. You too." and with that, Nicky walked out the glass door, intent on tracking down her second caffeine fix for the day.

Carol relaxed back into her chair with a sigh. She felt a little guilty for misleading Nicky like that, but she had seen the press conference on the news last night, as well as the leaked footage that had shown the rabbit officer pointing his fox-away spray at Nicky. She snarled at the memory of the poorly shot footage. She'd been sprayed with similar stuff once by a squirrel mother who had accused her of eating her baby. Of course, Carol had done no such thing, and when the child was later found playing hide and seek, the mother had refused to apologise, insisting that she had deserved it nonetheless.

She swept the shredded note into her paw, and then dumped it into the nearby bin. She was doing Nicky a favour, she told herself. If that rabbit was threatening to spray her, he didn't deserve a second chance. Especially after what he said at to all the reporters. Still, a grain of doubt remained in the corner of her mind.

* * *

Nicky crumpled her empty coffee cup into a nearby bin as she arrived at the corner where she usually met Finnick for their jobs. Not seeing his van there, she pulled out her phone to pass the time, but after half an hour, the fennec fox had still not arrived. That was pretty unusual. Nicky had always known Fin to be punctual whenever money was involved. It was one of the reasons she'd gone into business with the guy. He was only ever interested in the money, and never bothered her with much else. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she dialled his number. After a half dozen rings, he answered.

"Oh-ho! If it isn't little ol' Nicky! Back from crime-fighting so soon are we?" Finnick's deep voice dripped with sarcasm, and not a small amount of anger. Nicky winced, realising belatedly that she'd essentially abandoned the smaller fox for the past two days without so much as an explanation.

"Hi, Fin!" she forced a pleasant tone, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't call, I was kinda busy and—"

"Too busy to text me? To let me know that you weren't gonna meet me at our usual place? _Twice._ " Nicky winced again at the snarl that came through the phone's speaker. She did feel bad for having forgotten about her partner, but she couldn't show him too much remorse. That would only anger the hot-headed fennec further.

"We had some trouble with Big."

The line went silent for a minute, before Nicky heard a sigh from the other end. "You at the usual meeting place? I can be there in ten."

"Sounds great, Fin buddy! I'll see you soon," Nicky hung up the phone, and went back to scrolling her Furbook feed while she waited.

Soon enough, a colourful, but dirty van pulled up to where Nicky was leaning on the wall behind her. Nicky promptly jumped into the passenger seat and the duo drove off.

"So," Finnick broke the silence after several minutes, "What's the plan for today? Pawpsicles again?"

"No, I'd rather not. We've done that one a bit too much recently. I think we need to shake things up a bit," she replied, "we don't want to lose our edge, right?" The fennec snorted non-committaly.

"Then what?" he asked blandly, "Collecting funds for the Zootopian poverty fund?" Nicky's stomach twisted uncomfortably at the mention of one of their earlier scams. They had dressed in fake uniforms for the charity organisation, and gone from door to door, asking for donations to the cause, and then keeping everything for themselves. _'Did we really used to sink that low?'_

"Actually, I heard that there is going to be some local festival over on the Plains this evening. Some local community puts it on this time every year."

"So, the carnival-game-con?"

"Uh, yes."

"Hm. Well, it'll take us most of the day just to get set up then." He turned onto the highway, and headed west towards the Canal District, and the warehouse where they stored a lot of their larger equipment.

* * *

"Hey there, little buddy!" Nicky cooed sweetly at the young wolf cub standing up at the edge of her booth. "You want to try and win a prize?" The little pup nodded enthusiastically, his mother watching on from the side with a smile tugging at her muzzle. Nicky was smiling much the same. The cub couldn't have been more than about four years old, but he was holding out a five dollar note to the vixen, a very serious expression on his face as he tried to act all grown up. The stuffed toy he was dragging along behind him didn't help his attempted appearance all that much, but it certainly added to his 'cuteness factor' as Nicky liked to think of it.

"Five dollars for three throws, is it?" Nicky asked sweetly, and again, the pup nodded, maintaining his serious expression. Nicky shot his mother a quick glance to confirm with her, but she smiled wider and nodded the affirmative. The pup held out the money, shaking it more insistently.

"Oh, thank you!" Nicky chuckled lightly, "And here's the ball for you. Now, just step on that line there, and throw the ball as hard as you can at these cans here!" she explained simply to the pup, directing him to a line marked out for small mammals. "The more you knock down, the better the prize you get!" The brown and black patterned cub took the baseball Nicky offered him and stood over at the line, glaring down the range at his opponent. Six brightly painted tin cans, stacked in a pyramid, sat further back in the booth on a pedestal. The cub suddenly whipped up his arm next to his head, then swung it forward with surprising speed, letting the ball loose at just the right moment to send it flying…

Right towards Nicky's face! The vixen was saved from the rather embarrassing ball to the face only by her quick reflexes, and readiness born of past experience. But even then, she only barely managed to duck out of the way of the fastball that skimmed her whiskers.

"Whoah!" Nicky exclaimed, straightening her scarf with one paw, and waving back the cub's shocked mother who'd darted forward with the other. "You've certainly got a good arm there, little man! But let's try and aim for those _cans_ next time, alright?" The cub nodded, eyes downcast, looking truly remorseful. Which of course only made Nicky smile more at the cuteness of it all. "Hey, no harm done, buddy!" she said cheerily, handing the ball back. "Here. Let's try that again, and we'll call that a practice throw. How does that sound?" The cub brightened visibly at the vixen's friendly response, and nodded enthusiastically, a small smile breaking out on his face for the first time.

"Okay, take your time when you aim… Oh! Good try!" Nicky encouraged the pup as his next throw flew towards the cans this time, but fell short. "Now, just a little harder, and a little higher… Great job! That's two cans down for two shots!" She clapped as the top, and left middle cans thudded dully to the ground. "Come on! You've got this!" she smiled at the pup as she passed him the ball for his final throw.

The small crowd that had gathered to watch the young pup quieted down as he lined up his left arm with his target, right arm poised behind his ear, and a look of utter concentration plastered on his face. The boy's eyes narrowed momentarily, his arm inched back just a little further and the crowd held their breath. Nicky's foot twitched.

The ball flew straight and fast, but those in the crowd with a practiced eye could see as it approached the stack, that it was slightly off-centre. Yet when it struck the cans with a loud _"Clang!"_ they all went flying. The mammals crowding around all let off a resounding cheer, while his laughing, clapping mother walked over to give her little champ a congratulatory hug. To see the crowd's reaction, one could be forgiven for thinking the boy had just pitched the winning ball at a regional finals game. Not that he had merely knocked over a bunch of cans at a local carnival, yet nobody seemed to care that they were overreacting.

"Well, folks! It looks like we have a major prize winner! And maybe a Major League champion in the making too!" Many of the adults standing by chuckled along with Nicky and the pup's mother. "Tell me, little buddy," Nicky smiled sweetly to the pup who was now being held up by his mother. He seemed to have gone rather shy with all the attention, and was burying his face in his mother's neck. "which prize do you want?"

After some gentle coaxing from the she-wolf, the pup eventually looked back up to the array of stuffed toys, plastic sports equipment, and other prizes on the back wall of the booth. It didn't take him long to find one that caught his eye, and he pointed silently to it, drawing Nicky's eye along with it.

"The rabbit?!" Nicky's throat tightened suddenly in her surprise. She coughed, and asked again, "You want the stuffed rabbit?" The pup nodded enthusiastically, a wide grin splitting his muzzle. Nicky sighed quietly, "Alright then…" as she reached up to unpin the stuffed rabbit from the wall. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she glanced momentarily into the toy's smiling face, and she quickly passed it to the boy, looking away as he hugged it tightly to his chest.

"Now, what do you say to the nice lady, Tommy?" the pup's mother reminded him.

"Fank 'ou, miss," little Tommy lisped, looking up from his new toy. Nicky managed to crack a smile in return.

"You're most welcome, Tommy, especially with such lovely manners!" Tommy's mother smiled in appreciation to Nicky, then walked off with the pup in her arms completely focussed on his rabbit. Nicky watched them depart, her smile fading away, the discomfort in her stomach returning. With a sigh, she turned to meet her next customer, a young leopard girl holding out a paw full of coins.

* * *

"I saw what you did with that wolf pup."

"Sorry?" Nicky looked up from the box of un-won prizes she was loading into the back of the van. It was shortly after midnight, and the Plains had settled down for the night, with the showground now a quiet flurry of activity as weary mammals packed up their stalls, rides and booths. Most the families had left after the fireworks show, and with them the profits for the night.

"I saw what you did. That pup should never have won with that throw, yet _somehow_ all the cans were knocked over!" Finnick glared at the larger fox over the moneybox he was counting through.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nicky huffed, turning back to the van.

"Don't play dumb with me, Nicole!" the fennec growled. "I saw ya' tap the win circuit with your foot! You're only supposed to use that one when _I'm_ out there!"

"Yeah, well, perhaps I just felt that the poor kid could do with a win! There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Yes, there is! If it cuts into our profits, then there is definitely something wrong with it! I didn't go to all that trouble building those magnetic circuits into each of the cans for you to go and use them to throw away our cash!"

"He was such a young cub! I didn't want to scam him out of just a few measly dollars!"

"That's never stopped you before." Nicky's retort died on her tongue. Her partner was right. She'd happily taken the proverbial candy from the not-so proverbial baby's paw many times before. _'Why did it feel so wrong this time then?'_ she wondered to herself as she went back to packing in silence.

After several more minutes of silent work by both foxes, Finnick looked up again from the moneybox. "How many more times?"

"Sorry?" Nicky asked again, this time actually not understanding what the smaller fox was saying.

"How many more times did you let kids win?" Finnick's voice was steady, but there was no mistaking the anger behind his words.

"None! No, really!" Nicky insisted, seeing the disbelieving snarl forming on Finnick's muzzle. "I swear, after the wolf pup I didn't let anyone else win big!"

"Well then, maybe you can explain why our profits are so low for the night?"

"What?"

"We're down about twenty-five percent on what we'd usually expect for a night like this! And that's before I take into account the prizes we'll need to replace."

"Really?" Nicky asked incredulously. She thought back over the night. It had been busy, but not nearly as busy as she was used to at events like this. Now that she thought about it, that was a bit strange, seeing as the carnival had seemed to be packed with mammals. She mentioned her observation to Finnick.

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully, "Well, we'll just need to work harder over the next few days to pick back up then." He didn't sound happy about the prospect, and Nicky didn't view it all that positively either.

"I guess so," she agreed dismally, packing the final box into the back of Finnick's van. "Let's get moving then. Tomorrow's the night market in Savanah Central, so we'll need to get some decent rest before we start."

"Hmpf!" Finnick snorted, slowly rising from his seat on the grass. He handed a small bundle of notes to Nicky when he approached. "Maybe we should sell some pawpsicles at the same time," he grumbled, climbing into the driver's seat.

The uncomfortable churning in Nicky's stomach returned at the mention of their classic hustle, but she pushed it aside. Regardless of the memories it threatened to dredge up, she knew that the money would be worth it. _'Besides,'_ she thought to herself as she entered the passenger side of the van, _'it's an innocent hustle. Nobody gets hurt in that one.'_ However, Nicky continued to struggle with her newly active conscience the whole drive back to her apartment where Finnick dropped her off.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Nicky struggled to return to her old life again. But even the concept of it being her 'old' life highlighted to her just how out of synch she was with who she'd been not all that long ago. She spent most of her working hours struggling to ignore the nagging in the corner of her mind that what she was doing was wrong. If not quite legally, then at least morally. Concerns she hadn't dealt with in a very long time. Unconsciously, she pushed back against some of Finnick's con suggestions, opting to work the less profitable, but slightly more ethical jobs rather than some of their more lucrative gigs.

Although the fennec tried to be patient with her at first, the lower income soon caused several angry disagreements between the pair. It wasn't unusual for them to disagree, but this time the stress on their relationship began to tell. They barely spoke outside of what was necessary for their jobs, and neither felt much in the way of achievement or fulfillment out of their activities. The fact that their profits continued to drop didn't do much to help the mood either. Eventually, even Nicky began to worry about the sorry state of their finances. She was used to a certain affluence associated with her job, and relatively low rent apartment, but if things didn't begin to improve soon, she would have to tighten her belt a few notches and cut back on her few expenses.

The fact was that they had finally begun to notice why business had been so poor recently, and unfortunately it wasn't showing much sign of improving any time soon. Every evening while sitting down to her dinner, Nicky watched the news describe each new incident of Savagery, or angry protest. But each day out on the street, Nicky saw the fear and distrust in mammals' eyes firstpaw. And it was getting worse. At first it had been nothing more than fewer prey mammals stopping by their stalls or stands. Soon, many began to outright ignore her if she tried to engage them. It wasn't much longer before she begun to notice angry glares directed her way by the larger prey mammals, whilst the smaller species quickened their pace around her, or even crossed the street to avoid her.

As a fox, Nicole Wilde was used to a certain degree of distrust from many other species, but this was on a whole new level, and even had the usually indifferent Finnick on edge. He'd finally stopped pushing Nicky to take on the more lucrative jobs with him, seemingly worried that the increased risk might not be worth it at the moment. Instead, they stuck to their popsicle and cheap souvenir hustles, despite the venom being shot their way by potential clients.

* * *

Nicky frowned at the pitifully small wad of cash in her paw. Today's takings had been by far the worst she'd ever had from a full day of selling pawpsicles. Well, except that one time the weather wall had malfunctioned causing a blizzard to descend on Sahara Square in the middle of June. But that didn't really count. She stuffed the notes into her purse with a huff, and set out to walk home from where Finnick had dropped her.

It had been a long, trying day for the Nicky as she'd been forced to endure the ire of several mammals who had taken it as a personal insult that she _dared_ to show her face out in public during the day. One of the offensive mammals, an elk with an impressive rack of antlers, had only left after a passing wolf pack stopped to stand quietly behind the vixen. They hadn't said a word, but their presence seemed loud enough to quiet the larger mammal's complaints and insults, and he'd beaten a rapid retreat. After he'd left, Nicky had turned to thank the pack for their support.

" _We all need to look after our own in times like these,"_ the pack alpha had smiled sadly to her, before leading her pack on.

The simple statement of solidarity had stuck with Nicky throughout the rest of the day as she pondered the implications it had. Wolves were traditionally a close-knit community, and their 'own' usually only extended to other members of their community, not even wolves from other packs. The fact that the unrest in the city had led the pack to momentarily adopt her showed her that things were reaching a tipping point. The pack was not being purely benevolent, but they were trying to establish new alliances with every fellow predator.

' _What if that pack hadn't stopped for me?'_ The concern sprang to mind as Nicky dodged a dirty glare shot her way by a pair of armadillos passing by in the other direction. Attitudes in the city were souring by the day, and each subsequent attack by a predator piled more fuel on the fire. Nicky glanced back nervously over her shoulder at the pair of armadillos. She would be lying if she said that the insults and distrust wasn't starting to get to her. Despite her oft flaunted mantra, things did get to her, and when she felt her personal safety might be at risk, she was less concerned about whether it showed or not.

And the truth was, she _was_ concerned about her safety. She was essentially alone in the city. Sure, she had many 'friends', but nobody, save perhaps Finnick to an extent, that she felt she could rely on.

' _Except…'_

' _No. He proved I couldn't trust him after all!'_ Nicky angrily shook of the unfinished suggestion, and turned right along the road she'd arrived at. Her apartment was in the opposite direction, but she needed to go and buy some groceries. Her pantry was looking rather bare at the moment. She tried to focus on the list of things she needed to get, but she couldn't shake the grey-furred, blue-eyed insistence from her mind that Judas _had_ been right in saying that only predators were going savage.

' _So? That doesn't give him the right to blame all predators!'_

' _No, perhaps not. But he was right to announce the danger, look at how many mammals have been attacked in the last two weeks!'_ the voice in the corner of Nicky's mind challenged her as she entered the small supermarket and grabbed a basket. She stormed down the first isle she came to.

' _And look at all anger and hatred that he caused!'_

' _Do you really think that one little bunny could cause all this? No, it would have come out sooner or later all by itself.'_

Forced to concede that point to her newly awakened conscience, Nicky changed tack; _'He almost sprayed me!'_

' _And you threatened to claw him.'_ Nicky froze at the thought, her paw reaching out to grab a tin of pasta sauce from the shelf. Her eyes fixed on her claw tips. _'You knew he'd been attacked by a fox when he was a kit, and yet you still threatened to do that to him. Now, who betrayed whom?'_

Nicky's empty paw dropped to her side as her shoulders sagged. The anger and bitterness she'd been stoking for the rabbit faded away, replaced instead by sorrow and remorse. She'd been so busy blaming Judas, she hadn't even considered that she might be worthy of some of the blame for their fallout.

' _What should I do then?'_ she asked finally. But the quiet voice in her mind refused to answer.

Moodily, she quickly went about picking out the last few groceries she needed, and headed to the counter. As she passed through the front of the store, a display caught her attention. It was a gaudily painted stand at the end of one of the isles, advertising a variety of cheesy stationary items, many with unusual functions built in. A ruler with a digital thermometer. A compass shaped like a giraffe's legs. A calculator with a built-in hole-punch. But the one item that Nicky's eye fixed on was a pen shaped like a carrot. Slowly, she picked it out of the pile of strange gadgets, and looked closer at the package it was in. It advertised a built-in voice recorder, supposedly useful for recording voice memmos when writing. She scoffed at the idea and went to toss it back. But something stopped her. She looked at the item in her paw once more, then placed it into her basket with a shrug. _'Why not?'_ she reasoned, and lined up for the nearest cashier.

As she waited in line to be served, her eyes wandered out to the street beyond the glass wall of the supermarket. There seemed to be some commotion out on the road, with lots of mammals on the road itself. She watched with growing interest as the number of mammals increased quickly, before long resolving into a whole crowd marching down the road. Some were carrying signs on wooden posts, shouting and chanting as they marched. One voice rose, warbling, above the others, carrying through a megaphone.

"Protection, not predation! Safety not Savagery! Prey stand united! Predators be evicted!"

Nicky's ears flattened against the back of her skull as the words of the chant came into focus. An anti-predator protest. She knew that things had gotten bad in the city, but clearly they were worse than she'd realised. There hadn't been a protest like this in Zootopia for over fifty years. She watched with growing concern as the column of prey marching down the road continued past the front of the shop, finally receding into the distance, leaving an eerie silence behind in the shop, and out on the street.

Apprehensively, she turned to face the teenage cashier. A doe. Fortunately for Nicky, the deer didn't seem interested in anything other than plodding away at her job until her shift was over, and in short order, the fox was back out on the street, shopping in tow. She glanced back in the direction the mob had disappeared, before hurriedly making her way home, immensely grateful it was in the opposite direction.

* * *

The tension and anxiety that Nicky had felt watching the protestors pass by that evening only continued to fester over the course of the next week and a half as she and Finnick pushed on with their failing schemes. It was easy to sit back in one's apartment and hear of the attacks and protests unfolding throughout the city, but out on the streets the two foxes often bore the brunt of the growing anti-predator sentiment.

At first it had manifested itself in a loss of business, and then the dirty looks and barbed comments, but after the first Anti-Pred March, they noticed a marked change for the worse. Now instead of avoiding them, some prey seemed to seek them out to hurl insults and vitriol at them. They were pushed, yelled at, accused of awful crimes and even spat on. Gangs of prey prowled the streets, intimidating and chasing away any predators they encountered. On more than one occasion Nicole and Finnick had been forced to flee from one of these gangs, dodging the stones flying after them.

It was after they'd escaped from their third such run in that Finnick finally gave in.

"That's it! I'm done!" he growled, leaning against the brick wall of the alley, trying to catch his breath. "This ain't worth it anymore! We're barely breaking even as it is! Now we have to run for our lives? Screw it!" Nicky nodded in response, panting too heavily to respond verbally, but the scowl on her face said everything for her.

"C'mon, let's get out of here before they come back," Nicky suggested after she'd caught her breath enough to talk. Finnick nodded, then stuck his head around the corner of the alleyway entrance to check for their current pursuers. Seeing nothing of concern, he motioned the all-clear, and the pair quickly made their way down the street, only beginning to relax when they spotted the van.

"Hey! There they are!" a voice cried out from behind them.

' _Damn!'_ Nicky cursed as they picked up their pace again and raced towards the van.

"Quick! The filthy preds are getting away!" the voice urged from behind, sounding significantly closer than before. Nicky chanced a peek over her shoulder. The sight of a rapidly approaching boar leading a scraggly looking group of other medium sized prey was motivation enough to push herself for all she was worth, catching up with the smaller fennec who'd pulled ahead. _'He sure can run when he wants to!'_ she thought wryly as they reached the van, wasting no time in getting in.

"Hurry!" Nicky gasped, slamming her door shut behind her.

"I'm hurrying!" Finnick snapped back, slamming the key into the ignition, and twisting it. The engine coughed once, then died. "C'mon!" He twisted the key again, and this time the engine turned over, and spluttered to life. His grunt of triumph was cut off as a loud crash suddenly split the air. Both mammals glanced up to see the large spider-web of cracks that had just appeared on the windscreen, the rock responsible clattering loudly off the bonnet. Another loud crash split the air, this one metallic sounding as another rock ricocheted off the side of the van.

"Why, those mother—!"

"Just drive, Fin!" Nicky yelled. Grumbling, the fennec complied, spinning the rear wheels in his hurry to escape.

"I had that windscreen replaced just last month," Finnick muttered darkly under his breath as they finally escaped from the gang into mid-afternoon traffic. They drove on in silence for several more minutes before Nicky realised Finnick had passed her usual drop off point.

"Where're we going, Fin?"

"You don't seriously think I'm going to let you walk home after that, right?" he snorted. "We almost got lynched!"

"Hmm. Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Silence again settled over the pair as they navigated the city streets to reach Nicky's apartment. "What I will say, Nicky," Finnick began as he pulled up to the curb, "is that you should lay low for a while. At least until this craziness dies down." He kept his eyes fixed on the steering wheel. "I'd hate to have to attend a funeral anytime soon," he finished quietly. Neither of them voiced their fear that the situation wasn't going to get better anywhere in the near future.

"Thanks, Fin. You too. I'd hate to see this van in a worse shape than it already is!" Nicky teased back gently. They both sat still for a moment longer, the silence between them growing to become almost palpable. Neither wanted to be the first to signal the end of their partnership. They'd been working together for well over two years, and even if it was only temporary, calling a hiatus felt wrong. Eventually Finnick shifted in his seat.

"Don't forget to text me from time to time. So I know you're still alive," he grouched.

"Ha! It's you I'm worried about, Fin! You'd better watch your tail!" Nicky smirked back, undoing her seatbelt, and opening the door.

"Hmph! Catch ya soon, Nic."

"You too, Finn." Goodbyes said, and not wanting to make things any more awkward than they already were, Nicky quickly stepped out of the van, and shut the door behind her. Only when the van had disappeared around the corner, did she turn and enter her building.

"Hey, Carol," she greeted the dingo as she passed her desk.

"Hey…" Nicky paused at the stunted response. Usually Carol enjoyed chatting with all her tenants, and she got along rather well with Nicky. Looking closer, the fox realised her landlady was reading the day's newspaper, the front page dedicated to a huge colour picture of the aftermath of the most recent Savage Attack.

' _Savage Attack indeed! Pft! Those prey that attacked us today were almost as savage as Manchas was!'_ The fact that none of the attacks by prey mammals were being reported by the media angered the vixen to no end, and after the day's excitement, she felt like she'd had enough. _'That's it!'_ she fumed, resuming her course for her floor, _'Tomorrow I'm going to visit that dumb bunny, and demand he does something about these prey gangs! If he really does want to make the world a better place, then he'll have to act!'_

* * *

"What do you mean, 'he's not here'? Where is he, then? On duty?"

"Look, _fox_ ," the goat sneered down from her seat at the reception desk in Precinct One headquarters, "I don't even need to _speak_ to you! The _only_ reason I'm answering you is to get your filthy pelt out of here as quick as possible! Like I said, Hopps is not here anymore. Hmpf!" she snorted in amusement, "Seems like that cute, fluffy thing found the police force harder than he expected!"

"He _quit_?"

"That's what I said, you idiot! What don't you understand about that! Now, _get out_!"

"Do you have a contact number for him?" Nicky insisted, "It's important!"

"Oh-ho! So that sick bunny has a thing for preds, hey?" the goat leant back in her chair, a disgusted scowl forming on her face.

"Wait, _what_?"

"The ZPD does not give out personal contact to anyone who asks, _especially_ prostitutes!" she spat. "So, _get out_ before I have you arrested!"

"How _dare_ you!" Nicky jabbed a clawed finger at the goat, causing her to shift uncomfortably, "I have never, _ever_ —"

"Officer Trunkaby!" the goat called shrilly, "Arrest this fox!" Nicky's ears flicked down against her skull as she turned to see the hulking figure of an elephant officer approaching from behind her.

"On what charge?" the cow asked coldly when she reached the desk.

"She's savage! She was about to attack me!" The elephant turned to look down at the fox, blinked slowly several times, before turning back to the receptionist.

"She's not savage, Gwyneth."

"Yes, she is! She had her claws out and was threatening me!"

"Have you actually seen any savage mammals up close, Gwyneth?" Hearing the acid in the elephant's tone, Nicky expected the receptionist to back down, even she was feeling nervous about the approaching storm. Evidently, the goat wasn't that smart.

"Yes. I have! Right there!" she waved her hoof right at Nicky, but stared defiantly into the elephant's face.

"Listen here, you old goat!" Trunkaby leaned in close, tapping her trunk on the stunned goat's chest. "You may have been hired to fill that desk temporarily, but you are _no_ cop. I don't care who you or your fleecy-friends know, but none of you are worth a _fraction_ of the mammals you are currently replacing, and if I had my way, the lot of you'd be out of that door as fast as I could kick you out!" The officer straightened up again before continuing, her anger replaced by mere disdain, "And you'd better think _very_ carefully before you tell me what I do, or do not, know again. I have actually been out on the streets and seen animals that have gone savage. This fox?" she wrapped her trunk gently about Nicole's shoulders. "She's anything but savage, although, given your attitude, I feel like I might look the other way if she did choose to attack you. Besides, she helped to _find_ the original savage mammals, so the least you could do is show her a modicum of respect!" With that, the elephant officer turned Nicky about with her trunk, and then lead her towards the front doors again, leaving the receptionist gaping in her wake.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that old hag in there," the cow apologised once they were out the front of the building, "she and a whole flock of other cronies have been brought in to replace all the predator officers who've been stood down from active service this past week." The grimace of disgust and anger on her face more than adequately expressing her feelings on the idea.

"That's okay, officer," Nicky smiled, "I'm kinda used to it by now anyway."

"Please, call me Francine," the elephant returned the smile. "So, was there anything that I could help you with that our esteemed receptionist was too important for?"

"Maybe? I came in to speak to Jud— ah, Officer Hopps. I wanted to file a report on a gang of prey mammals who attacked me and my business partner yesterday. And…" the fox paused, and glanced away from the elephant, feeling a little foolish, "I also wanted to apologise to him for how I acted at the conference. I was, well, a bit of a jerk."

Francine blew a puff of air through her trunk, "Hmm, I don't know what went down between you two then, but he said some pretty dumb things on live TV, so in my opinion he might have deserved it. Anyway, it's not my place to judge that…" she trailed off, almost as if talking to herself.

"I'd be happy to help you file that complaint if you like," she began again after a moment's silence, "but I can tell you right now that nothing will be done about it. We've already had dozens of such claims, and each and every one of them gets pushed into the bottom of our priority listings. I _want_ to go out and catch those pricks, but I _can't_! If I tried to do it myself, I'd be the one ending up in a cell, and then there'd be even fewer real cops in the city." She sighed heavily, her trunk curling and uncurling in frustration. "I'm sorry," she whispered, shoulders sagging.

Nicky stared up at the elephant in something akin to awe as she felt the sincerity in the other's words. There were precious few mammals around who were as honest, and unbiased as this elephant seemed to be. "Thanks anyway, Francine. I'd feel safer with you out on the streets, trying to keep some semblance of order, rather than in a cell," Nicky smiled, trying to lighten the mood a little. She never felt comfortable when everyone was serious or depressed. "If you could give me Judas' number at least, I'd like to talk to him if I could."

"I'm sorry, Ms Wilde," Francine shook her head slowly, "I would give it to you if I could, but he left so suddenly, and I'd never gotten the chance to know him that well yet. I don't have it."

"Oh. Alright then. I guess that's that then?" the vixen arched her back as she readied herself to move on again.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Francine apologised again.

"Don't worry about it," Nicky forced a smile, "there's nothing you can do about it. And please, call me Nicky. Thanks for your help inside though." Francine's frown shifted into a smirk.

"Oh, she's had that coming all week! I've just been looking for the right excuse!" Both mammals chuckled lightly for a moment.

"Well, I need to be going," Nicky said, checking her phone for the time.

"Sure thing, Nicky. Just take care of yourself, alright?" Francine fixed the fox with a serious expression, "I'd hate to hear that you got caught up in all this violence going on. Maybe find someplace safe to lie low for a while? At least until things settle down somewhat?"

"I might at that, Francine," Nicole answered. In truth, since the incident yesterday, and Finnick's similar suggestion, she'd been thinking seriously about the idea. And now that she knew she wasn't going to receive any help from the ZPD, she decided it would probably be the safest thing she could do. _'And I know just the place, too.'_

"You take care too, Francine. If you get yourself injured, who'd keep that old goat in there in line?"

"Ha! I'm an elephant! Nothing's going to hurt me!" Francine struck a pose with her arms crossed and face tilted up into the breeze, ears flapping gently with the wind. She looked truly heroic. That was, until she suddenly flinched and cradled her left front-foot with her right. "Ow! Ow! Oh, a splinter!" she cried dramatically, struggling to stifle a laugh, before giving up as Nicky chortled along.

"Don't you worry, Nicky, I'll be fine!" she chuckled, opening the front door again. "Hopefully I'll see you again once all this has died down," she smiled genuinely at the fox. Nicky found herself returning the smile fondly, whilst also wondering at the strangeness of the situation. _'Am I friends with another cop now?'_ she wondered incredulously, as she turned to walk home. Her smile remained fixed to her muzzle as she continued down the street, but as she rounded the first corner, the real world came crashing back down on her. Fully two thirds of the shops on the street were displaying signs now barring predators from entry. _'Yep, Francine was definitely right,'_ She though sadly, ignoring the glares she was receiving from passing mammals, _'I think it's time to bunker down somewhere for a while.'_

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **So, there you go! Another chapter, and I'm glad to have gotten it finished! Firstly, I want to say that I'd already been planning a chapter like this that deviated more from the movie than most of what I'd already written, and with some of the recent comments I've been receiving, I hope this is original and different enough for you all! :P**

 **Fair warning, semester is moving towards inexorably towards its climatic conclusion, so I make no promises on the speed of my next few chapter updates, but never fear, they are coming!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey everyone! I'm back again, and I'm sorry for the delay! The last few weeks at Uni have been pretty busy with assignments and such. Also, the last chapter I wrote for my other story took a little longer than I had expected, delaying me a bit (blame Selaxes for that one!). Incidentally, that went up during the notification blackout on this website, so if you do follow that story as well, please go check it out! Also, I can't remember if the last chapter for this story went up during that blackout, or before, so make sure you've read it.**

 **Anyway, I'm sure you'd rather read the chapter than listening to my rambling, so off you go!**

* * *

 _Chapter 18: A Flower and a Fox_

Pull. Shake. Stack. Repeat.

Pull from the base of the green stalks. Shake off the excess dirt. Stack them in the crates behind him.

' _Pull. Shake. Stack. Repeat._ '

That was the mantra by which Judas lived in the moment. The dampness of the soil he was kneeling in had long ago penetrated the old denim overalls he was wearing, creating a distinctly uncomfortable sensation. His paws and feet were also coated in the clinging dirt, matting his fur up to his wrists and ankles. It would take a lot of careful grooming to remove it all come evening. Sweat trickled down through his fur as the bright sun beat down on the field through the clear sky.

' _Pull. Shake. Stack. Repeat._ '

Judas had never liked harvest duty. Before he'd left for the academy, many long hours had been spent, either in the burning sun, or freezing rain, gathering his family's livelihood from the earth. Escaping the tortuous chore had been one of the things he had looked forward to most when he'd left for the ZPD Academy, besides his primary goal of becoming an officer…

' _Pull. Shake. Stack. Repeat.'_

So, when Judas had volunteered to join the harvest team the day after he returned from the city, his parents had been rather surprised. Then, that surprise morphed into concern over the course of the next week. Each and every day, the young buck volunteered to join the harvest team for that day, despite the fact that most Hopps children spend only one day in a week out in the fields. When asked about why he was volunteering so much, he shrugged and mumbled something along the lines of needing the fresh air. Truthfully, he just wanted to lose himself in the mind-numbing task.

' _Pull. Shake. Stack. Repeat.'_

He dreaded the moments of silence at day's end. The moments between the insanity of burrow life. The moments at night before sleep dragged his exhausted mind into blissful nothingness. The moments when his mind would wander back to Zootopia. Back to a certai—

"Pull! Shake! Stack! Repeat!" he spat the words out at himself as he ripped the carrot violently out of the ground, shook off the dirt, stacked it and went back for the next one in the row. He was not going to let his mind wander _there_. No use in feeling worse than he already did.

Judas continued pulling carrots, slowly working his way down the row of crops, trying his best to ignore the growing stiffness in his back. The physical pain helped to mask some of the less tangible hurt. Eventually, though, the discomfort grew too great and he paused in his labour, pushing into the small of his back with his fists, eliciting several loud pops as his spine released the tension that had been building. He wiped his brow with the back of his paw, smearing dirt, rather than wiping away the sweat, and sat back on his heels, momentarily enjoying the view of the fields before him.

It was a warm day to be out in the fields, sure, but the spring weather really was spectacular today. The sky was a stunning pastel blue, dotted with only a handful of white puffy clouds drifting lazily by to decorate it. The wind was practically non-existent, but there was just enough to set the tops of distant trees dancing. The bright sunlight bathed everything in a warm, cheerful glow, making all the colours feel more vibrant than usual. It was a Saturday afternoon, and so many of the younger children, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends and so on were out frolicking in the large, grassy field reserved for the kits to do just what they were. Playing.

The corners of Judas' mouth tugged upwards in the barest hint of a smile as he took in the sight. A smile tainted with pain and sadness, but a genuine smile all the same.

' _How long has it been since I last smiled?'_ he wondered, his smile fading with the question. _'Days? Weeks?'_ The buck released a protracted sigh as the reasons why he hadn't felt like smiling pressed in on the edges of his mind once again. Suddenly the bright vista before him lost the glamour and perfection it had held but a moment before, and instead he saw just the tedious hum-drum of farm life that he'd tried so hard in vain to escape. _'Nicky was right, after all. I_ will _end up as just another,_ ordinary _carrot farmer.'_

The grey-furred rabbit was startled from his grim musings by an explosion of laughter from behind him. He looked about, more out of reflex than actual curiosity, to see a couple of younger kits racing through the carrot field he was harvesting with his father and brothers. The two kits laughed and bounced about as they were chased down by their mother, one of his older sisters, Jemima, laughter on her lips too. He felt momentarily ashamed that he couldn't remember his own nephew and niece's names. _'Just another failure for Judas Larry Hopps,'_ he thought acidly. He turned away from the joyful scene to focus once again on pulling the root vegetables from the ground.

"HEY!" Stuart Hopps' voice cut through the air like a rifle shot. Judas' ears shot up, and he turned out of instinct towards the source of the voice. His father was standing up from the row of carrots he'd been harvesting, and was staring down at his daughter and her kits. A light frown creased his muzzle as he aimed a muddy finger at the ground just in front of the now chagrined rabbits. A line of small, vibrant, purple flowers formed an indistinct boundary between rows of different carrot types.

"How many times do I have to tell you kits?!" rather than angry, Stu sounded exasperated. " _Don't_ run through the Midnicampum holicithias! I thought you'd know better than that Jemima!"

"Sorry, Dad," Jemima apologised meekly, "I didn't see them until too late."

" _Please_ be more careful next time, okay?" Stu sighed. "You remember what happened to your uncle when he was younger, right?"

"Yes, Dad," Jemima rolled her eyes, "but it's not like we were going to _eat_ them!"

"That's not the point!" Stu argued, stubbornly. Judas let the conversation fade from his focus as he turned once more to the tedious, brainless task of harvesting carrots.

He'd heard the whole sermon before, and the many arguments that had stemmed from his father's insistence on the issue. The flowers were actually a rather contentious point between Stuart Hopps, and the next generation of farming Hopps'. The younger ones wanted to do away with the mildly toxic flower altogether as they felt it was too much hassle to tend alongside the crops if they had to be so careful all the time. Their father, on the other paw, maintained that they were by far the cleanest and safest way to keep insects from attacking their produce. He refused to trust the chemical sprays being touted as the 'best' and 'strongest' by large agricultural suppliers, especially after some of the stories he'd read about some of them causing sickness or injury on rare occasions.

Judas kept harvesting the carrots, slowly dragging the trolley and slowly filling crates along with him as he moved. His sister and her kits had moved off some time ago now, and only the distant sound of playing children and birds singing could be heard as Judas tried to lose himself to the rhythm of the harvest again, but the little drama had awakened a memory that was hard to shake.

A frantic foot chase through the centre of Zootopia with its dramatic climax in Little Rodentia. He smiled at the memory of his first arrest. The first time he'd felt the edges of his dream within his grasp. But that memory also dredged up the whole Emmitt Otterton case, and of course that meant thinking about Nicky, and the friendship he'd managed to so utterly destroy. That day when he'd arrested Duke for the theft of the bulbs had already been crazy in an emotional sense, but now the storm of feelings and memories it sparked off was almost unbearable.

Judas rocked back on his heels, pausing to catch his breath amidst the unrelenting waves of raw emotion, so intertwined that he couldn't discern joy and pride from sadness and regret. A single tear rolled slowly down his cheek. That was all he allowed himself. If he let more out, he doubted he'd ever reign in the flow of tears again.

Judas looked about himself as he struggled to subdue his emotions again, and was surprised to see that he had reached the end of the row of carrots he was working on, and that the sun had dropped much lower in the western sky than he remembered it being. Some of his brothers had already begun to pack up their carts, now full of fresh carrots. The field looked strangely barren to the former cop, although he knew it would be replanted just a few short days hence. Judas bent forward again to retrieve his last few carrots from the ground, shaking off the dirt before stacking them away.

As he reached for the last one, his foot brushed up against something soft behind him. He turned around to see another row of the purple flowers his father used as a natural insect repellent. He suppressed the reflex to flinch away from the plant, knowing that it was not harmful to just touch it. Judas gazed at the delicate looking purple flower, its bright yellow stamen standing out proudly from the rest of the plant. It really was a beautiful flower, and Judas suddenly found himself questioning if the flower really was as dangerous as his father always claimed. Carefully, he reached out, and broke one flower off at the stem, halfway down. He brought it to his nose and gave a tentative sniff. It had very mild scent, slightly sweet, but with a hint of something sharper, like a citrus to it. He wondered vaguely what it might taste like. He enjoyed many other types of flowers, daisies, daffodils, and especially tulips, but he felt that discretion might be the wiser option here. At least until he'd done some further research on the supposedly dangerous flower. He tucked it away carefully in the front pocket of his overalls. It would get squashed somewhat, but that didn't really bother him.

Hurriedly, Judas plucked the last carrot, added it to the crates on the trolley and stood up, a loud groan of weariness escaping his lips as he did so. The rest of the harvesters had left the carrot plot behind and were dragging their cargoes towards the storage barn that stood at the junction of several large fields. Judas followed. The sun was rapidly nearing the horizon, and the increasing wind had developed an unpleasant nip to it. Besides, he needed to hurry if he wanted to eat dinner while it was still hot, or before somebunny else ate it all for him!

* * *

Judas slipped inside his small room, a small sigh of weariness escaping his lips as he quietly closed the door. The room was almost pitch black, the only light entering from the hallway by means of the small crack beneath the door. He leaned for a moment against the door, enjoying the solitude and isolation of his own little space. He loved his family. He really did, but at the moment he could only stand so much submersion in the sea of noise, excitement and insanity that was life in the burrow. He had always been a little bit odd for a rabbit in the sense that he enjoyed privacy and alone time more than others did, but this was more than that. After even a short time surrounded by his family, he began to feel suffocated, like he was drowning in an ocean of activity and emotion. Yet, at the same time, he dreaded the silence as it left him with only his own thoughts and memories for company. And that wasn't a pleasant alternative either.

He stood up straight, and flicked on the light switch as he walked the couple of steps to the end of his bed, the only large piece of furniture in the room. The room was not much larger than the bed itself. Space being at a premium in the large burrow meant that all individual bedrooms were, by necessity, quite small. The room had been dug directly out of the earth itself, a sealant applied to the walls, ceiling and floors before being plastered and painted cream with a burgundy feature wall opposite the foot of the bed. The natural construction led to the walls and ceiling flowing smoothly into one another without any sharp corners, maintaining both the essence of a burrow and the sophistication of a modern home.

A shallow, built in closet on the far side of his room with sliding doors to preserve space housed his clothes and a few other personal items that were too bulky to leave lying about. On the opposite side of the bed, a small set of shelves projected organically from the wall, giving him a place to rest his phone and a few other nick-knacks he owned.

A wooden desk seemed to grow directly out of the feature wall, and a swivel office chair sat wedged between it and the bed, giving Judas a place where he'd been able to study in peace as a student. The desk was empty now of all the books and notes that had lived there during those years, now the only thing occupying the desk was his closed CarrotBook Pro and a crumpled, purple flower.

It was the flower that caught Judas' eye as he slumped down onto his bed. His father's repeated warnings about the flower came to mind as he silently debated the choice of sleep, or finding out more about the mysterious bloom. Eventually, it was the old story of his Uncle Terry that settled the debate. Apparently, when they were young, Terry had eaten one of the flowers, causing him to lash out at his siblings, even biting Judas' mother. Judas found the story a little too familiar and unsettling to just leave it alone. He moved to the chair at the desk and booted up his laptop. Within minutes, he had opened the internet browser and typed "Midnicampum holicithia" into the search bar. A list of articles and journal papers appeared on his screen, mostly connected with discussions about the use of the flower for pest control in agriculture. Judas scanned through the list until he found a description that more accurately matched what he was looking for.

" _The Risks and Rewards of using Midnicampum holicithias as an insect deterrent in Agriculture. An analysis by Dr. J. Hedgewright and P. Cooper of the Institute of American Farming and Agriculture."_

The title was a mouthful, but Judas clicked on the link, hopeful that the article might shed some light on the real threat of the flower sitting harmlessly on the desk beside him. The rabbit spent the next twenty minutes silently reading through the article on his computer, a frown slowly deepening on his face. He clicked on a linked reference when he finally reached the end of the paper. He read through that article, before again clicking on another referenced article, his frown even deeper now, and tinged with concern. Another article. And then another. He'd moved well away from his initial entry point of agriculture, and was currently reading an article discussing the effects of introducing the flower petals into the diets of certain reptiles.

According to the thirty-year-old research paper that had obviously been lacking funding, snakes and lizards that had ingested the petals would often expire due from heart failure or brain haemorrhaging, but before death, all had shown increased signs of aggression and fear. The few that had survived all eventually returned to a normal state, but only after the plant matter had been fully digested and excreted.

The paper had concluded with a final recommendation that more research be dedicated to the flower and its interesting properties, particularly its rumoured effect on mammals. But, try as he might, Judas could find no other evidence of a follow-up paper, or even any other party taking up the research path. It seemed that perhaps the question had died along with the lack of financial support.

"Or, perhaps not," Judas mused out loud. "What if someone _did_ continue that research, but just didn't publish it for others to find? What if they wanted it kept secret?" The rabbit's mind began to tick faster as he contemplated the potential of what that might mean in terms of the current crisis in Zootopia. He turned his gaze back to the crumpled flower on his desk, worry clouding his face. The thought that perhaps, just maybe, this humble flower might have something to do with the savagery crisis in the city was disturbing, but still just a theory with nothing but vague suggestions to link them together.

Judas let out a tired yawn, and glanced at the time on his screen. 1:53 am. He yawned again. Regardless of whether there was a link or not, there was nothing he could do right at the moment, and maybe a clearer head in the morning would help him consolidate his theory. He shut the lid of his laptop and promptly slid under the sheets of his bed. Before he closed his eyes, he set the alarm on his phone for 7:00 am, feeling he deserved to sleep in a little after all the work he'd been pulling in the fields, and the late night of research. The faintest ghost of a smile graced his muzzle as the tired rabbit drifted away on the relentless tide of sleep.

* * *

"Ah! There you are, Jude! I was wondering when you'd be getting up," Bonnie smiled as she spotted her son entering the kitchen. She was almost done cleaning up from the first round of breakfast. The older bunnies already going about their chores and other business, whilst the youngest had eaten before swarming the cinema-sized screen in the cavernous living room to watch their favourite cartoons. She didn't expect the teenaged kits to emerge for another hour or two at most, Sunday being the only morning they were allowed to indulge in sleeping-in.

"There's still a few pancakes left if you like. They're a bit cold, but it'll be a little while before I have any fresh ones ready."

"These'll be fine, Mom," Judas snagged a one of the pancakes from the pile of leftovers his mother had indicated, and began eating it plain. Bonnie paused in her cleaning, and looked her son up and down.

"You look a bit better today," she said after a moment, "Did you have an early night?"

"He, he. Actually, no. The opposite more like," Judas smiled thinly, "but I was doing some reading online last night that might just help me sort things out." Bonnie looked at him quizzically before shrugging her shoulders. She didn't care what it was that had improved her son's mood, just as long as he was no longer acting as depressed as he had been for the past week and a half that he'd been home.

Right then, the doorbell chimed.

"Come in!" Bonnie called loudly, wiping her damp paws on a tea-towel.

"Mrs Hopps?" called a male voice with a thick, southern accent. Although he couldn't place it, the voice sounded distinctly familiar to Judas.

"We're in the kitchen, Gideon!" Bonnie called back cheerfully, "And I've told you, call me Bonnie!"

"Wait, Gideon? As in Gideon _Grey_?" Judas raised an eyebrow, staring at his mother, a look of confusion plastered on his face. She just smiled, and winked back at him just as a portly fox in a blue apron cautiously entered the kitchen, a tray with three large blueberry pies cradled in his paws.

"Sorry, Mrs Ho— Ah mean, _Bonnie_ ," the fox smiled at the smaller rabbit, "Old habb'ts, ya' know."

"That's quite alright, Gideon," Bonnie replied, taking the tray from the fox with ease, and placing it down on a nearby benchtop. "You remember Judas, right?" she nodded to where her son was leaning against the fridge, a half-eaten pancake in one paw, and a small, crumpled violet flower in the other, resting against his leg.

" _Judas_?" The fox squeaked, the skin in his ears visibly paling as he turned to the young buck.

"Gideon," Judas replied blandly, trying to maintain a neutral expression.

"Gideon!" Stuart Hopps greeted cheerfully, entering the kitchen with a wide smile. "I thought that was your van out there! How are you my boy?" He slapped a paw on the larger predator's shoulder.

"Ah-Ah'm g-good, thanks Mr H." Gideon stuttered.

"Ah, Jude! You're up!" Stu greeted his son with the same cheery smile he often wore. "And I see you've met Gideon again! Can you believe he's become one of the best pastry chefs in the whole Tri-Burrows region?"

"Is that so?" Judas asked, turning to face the fox again, who was now staring resolutely at the floor with his paws jammed into his pockets and a faint blush visible in his ears.

"Yeah, we work with him now," Bonnie piped up. "We provide the fruit and berries and he turns them into incredible pies and pastries!" Gideon's ears darkened further.

"And we have you to thank for it all," Stu smiled softly, placing a paw on Gideon's shoulder, "if you hadn't challenged our biases, we would never have considered it. But, now, we have a great new partnership and a future that's really looking up."

"Wow, I'm not really sure what to say guys. That's really cool of you." Judas' blank face had slowly softened to a smile as he listened to his parents, and now he turned towards his old adversary. "Well, Gideon, it's certainly been a while," he began in a friendly tone, prompting the fox to raise his head again.

"Judas, Ah, uh. Ah wanted t-to apologise f-for the way a-ah acted as a kit," Gideon stuttered awkwardly, still not making direct eye contact. He sounded like he was trying to recite a script in front of a large audience with a serious case of stage fright. "Ah had a-a lot o-of self-doubt, a-an' bitt'rness, an' ah express'd that as rage an' aggression." He finally lifted his gaze to meet Judas'. "Ah was a real jerk." There was no mistaking the sincerity in the predator's apology, and Judas accepted it immediately.

"Well, it wasn't just you, Gid. I didn't exactly do much to try and make peace either. Besides, I know a thing or two about being a jerk myself." Judas' smile faded momentarily before he caught himself, and refixed the smile to his muzzle. Only his mother noticed the momentarily lapse. He shifted his half-eaten pancake to the paw holding the flower, and held out his right to shake the fox's.

"Judas, what is that in your paw?" Stuart asked quietly as the younger buck and fox shook paws.

"Huh? Oh, this?" he lifted his left paw with the flower held up between two fingers. "It's just a—"

"Midnicampum holicithia. Yes, I know _what_ it is! I'm asking what you're doing with one _in the kitchen_!" Judas' jaw worked up and down, trying to formulate an answer that might deflect his father's ire.

"Whew! That's cert'nly a mouthful Mr H!" Gideon's voice interrupted the awkward silence that had settled over the room, drawing everybody's eyes to the fox.

"Wha'? My fam'ly always just call 'em Night Howlers," he explained under the sudden scrutiny. Judas' ears flicked upright as a sudden spark of recognition flashed in his mind, and his eyes suddenly grew bright and sharp.

"Sorry, what was that?" he asked with a hint of urgency.

"Ah, Night Howlers?" Gideon looked confused by the sudden intensity in the rabbit's face. Stu and Bonnie also flashed surprised glances at each other after both noticing the rapid change in behaviour.

"Yes. Why do you call them that?"

"Ah'm not really sure. Ah think me mam used t' say somethin' about mamm'ls goin' bonkers if they ev'r et one. Real mean like too. Why d'ya ask?" But Judas was no longer listening to Gideon, instead his mind started racing as pieces of a larger puzzle began to fall into place.

"Otterton was a florist! So, he must have known about these flowers!" he exclaimed, raising up the one in his paw to study it intently. "Night Howlers aren't wolves after all! They're flowers!" Some of the articles he'd read last night and into the morning jumped up, screaming at him the little details he'd missed in his weariness. Aggression, irrational behaviour, reports of fights started over nothing. All inconsequential by themselves, but tied together with the magic link, damning evidence. "Toxic flowers that someone's using to make the predators go savage!"

The realisation sent the ex-cop reeling, and he grabbed the nearby benchtop to steady himself, waving back the concerned attentions of his parents. _'If someone's causing all this, they_ need _to be stopped!'_ He reached for his phone, forestalling his parents' questions, and Gideon's confusion with a raised paw. Instead, they all strained their ears to try and discover who Judas was calling.

" _Zootopia Police Department, Precinct One. If this is an emergency, please dial triple nine immediately to speak to emergency services,"_ a bored sounding female voice chirped through the speaker.

"Hi, this is Judas Hopps. I need to speak with Chief Adrian Bogo as soon as possible, please."

" _Sorry, the Chief is indisposed at the moment, and is very busy otherwise. I'm afraid that unless you have an appointment with him, we won't be able to transfer the call. If you have a complaint or grievance against the ZPD, I can transfer you to the Mammal Resources office, but the delay will be approximately three hours. Is there anything else—"_

"No! I need to speak to Bogo, _now_! It is imperative that I speak to him as soon as possible! Where is he?"

" _As I said, the chief is indisposed at the moment. He's meeting with the Mayor and council and cannot be disturbed. If you like, I can leave a message, but that's all I can do."_

Judas' ears fell at the answer, he knew it would be useless to try and push harder. He was no longer an officer, and so any privileges he might have been able to use were gone. He left a short message and his phone number with the receptionist asking the Chief to call him back as soon as possible. He hung up.

"Well, looks like it might be up to me again!" He turned back to face his now thoroughly confused audience. A few of the teenage bunnies had quietly slipped into the kitchen, intent on snaring a quick breakfast, but had instead become mired to the spot during the strange phone call.

"Dad, I need the keys to the truck," he demanded, eyes burning holes directly into the older buck's soul. Stuart Hopps instantly obeyed, tossing the keys at the same time as taking a worried half-step backwards from his son. Judas caught them mid-air as he dashed through the kitchen towards the front door.

"Wait! Jude!" Stuart called, racing after his son with the others. "What's going on? Where are you going?"

"I need to get back to the city! I have to stop this insanity!" Judas reached his father's beaten up truck, the blue paint faded and giving way to flecks of rust. He ripped open the driver's door and dove in as his parents, siblings and Gideon erupted onto the front porch.

"Judas, it's too dangerous there now!" Bonnie exclaimed, worry written all over her face. "Mammals are getting killed now!"

"That's exactly why I need to go!" The truck's engine coughed to life, before settling into a steady rhythm. One of the benefits of having such a large family was that there were several good mechanics amongst the myriad of Hopps progeny, so all the vehicles on the farm ran far smoother than they had a right to. Many had even been heavily improved from their original design, just as Stuart's old truck had. Judas leaned out the window to face his parents. "If I don't go now, then there may be many more deaths, and I could never live with myself if I let that happen without at least trying to stop it."

"But, Honey, you could get yourself hurt!" Bonnie seemed on the verge of tears as she saw the grim, but determined look in her son's eyes. Surprisingly, it was her husband who spoke next.

"Bon, let him go," he said softly, wrapping an arm about her. "He's right, he needs to do this. It's who he is." Stuart paused, clearing his throat as he struggled to keep his own tears at bay. Bonnie's cheeks already showed twin dark streaks in her fur. He turned to look at his son again, pride and fear equally present in the smile he gave his son. "He's a _doer_. When there's something he can _do_ to make life better, or safer, for others, Judas _refuses_ to sit back and _do_ nothing."

Judas' heart swelled with emotion at his father's words. It was no secret that Stuart Hopps had never liked his son's life goal of becoming a police officer, and he had often tried to discourage Judas from doing anything dangerous or risky. So, to hear the acceptance, and even pride, in his father's voice for what Judas did filled him strength and confidence once again.

"I'll be careful guys. I promise you that," Judas replied quietly, his voice thick as he fought the words past the lump in his throat. He began to slowly pull away from the house.

"You'd better be!" Stu's voice cracked as he blinked furiously. "Oh! And bring my truck back in one piece will ya?" He tried to laugh, but it turned into a strangled sob as he lifted his free paw to wave to his son.

"I'll try!" Judas called back with forced levity, but his parents were too occupied with crying on each other to notice. He pulled around Gideon's pink pastry van and made for the road. A final glance back in the rear-view mirror showed one very confused fox trying desperately to console a distraught pair of bunny parents amidst a sea of snivelling younger bunnies. A hiccoughing laugh escaped his lips as he turned onto the highway and sped towards the city. Perhaps there was hope after all, even if only for his family and one former bully. And maybe there was enough for the city too. Regardless, Judas knew he had to do something. But he also knew that he couldn't do it alone.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **So there you are. I know some of you were probably expecting Judas and Nicky to meet up again, but I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for next time (which I hope wont be too far away!). Although I'm finished classes for the semester now, that means exams are just about to kick into full swing, so it might take a few weeks again for the next installment. Alternatively, I might feel the need to unwind and you could get lucky... No promises though! Write you soon!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey everyone, I'm back again! Exams are over for the semester, and I am finally half-way through my five year double degree! Woohoo! Anyway, I'm sure you're all far more interested in getting to the next chapter, the one you've all been pestering me for! But, before you dive in, I got a question on a review on the last chapter from Lucas FTW. Usually, I prefer to answer these questions directly with a private message, but I can't do that if you have your PM settings disabled! :P To answer your question as best I can, I haven't really thought about who I would recommend as voice actors for Nicky and Judas. If you had any thoughts, Lucas, I'd love to hear them!**

 **Thanks, now, have at it!**

* * *

 _Chapter 19: Reunion_

"Martial Law!?" The thick, booming voice of Adrian Jonathan Bogo rang out through the council chamber causing many of those seated around the rectangular table to flinch back as if struck. "You must be insane!"

"The city is tearing itself apart, Chief! Do you expect me to sit back and do _nothing_!" Dawn Bellwether, Mayor of Zootopia, stared down the buffalo from the opposite end of the table. The ewe was the only mammal in the room to not flinch at the huge mammal's outburst.

"The city wouldn't be 'tearing itself apart' if you'd let me and my officers do our jobs!" Bogo seethed, "Instead, you've forced me to suspend more than _half_ my officers and supplied me with those _useless_ wool-brained security guards!"

"We've been over this, Bogo! We can't risk an officer going savage while on duty! Nobody would ever trust the ZPD after that!"

"That's absurd! My officers are all completely in control of themselves!"

"Do you _know_ what's causing this savagery, Chief Bogo?" Larry Conner interrupted the argument from his seat midway along the table. The suited bobcat sat comfortably in his chair, chewing on a toothpick in place of his customary cigar.

Bogo shifted his burning gaze to the smaller predator who tried his best not to squirm under the sudden scrutiny. "Not. Yet." He growled menacingly.

"So," Larry cleared his throat, "how do you know that they _won't_ go savage? Look at that grizzly bear that went savage last week! He was a respected reporter, and he _killed_ that young coyote lady! Or how about the leopard teacher? Four students, four _kids_ , are still in hospital! Both of them were 'completely in control' of themselves before that!"

Bogo kept his glare fixed on the council-mammal, but his mouth shut. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but Mr Conner was right. He couldn't truly guarantee his predator officers' sanity. The thought both terrified and infuriated him.

"He's right, Bogo," Dawn said softly again. "I've already contacted the Federation Council with my request for military support. They've agreed to send us troops, all prey species until we work out what's causing this savagery, and they'll be here by Tuesday."

"You've already contacted the Council?!" Bogo erupted.

"I have that right _and_ authority!" Bellweather snapped back. "I am the _Mayor_! I have the _responsibility_ to this state to keep the citizens safe!"

"And what of the other City-States, _Mayor_?" Bogo sneered, "What have they got to say about you appropriating some of the shared military might of the Federation to solve our internal problems? We're not exactly on the best of terms with FeliCity state at the moment. Not to mention the growing tensions between our Federated States and the Russian Imperium!"

"I'd be far more concerned with the riots in the streets around us, Bogo," the temperature in the chamber seemed to plummet with the ewe's icy response. "I'd be far more concerned with the mammals _you_ are _failing_ to protect. The mammals that are being injured and _killed_ every day now."

The chief of police glared daggers at the mayor. The diminutive sheep calmly returned the stare in kind, refusing to be intimidated. The remaining twelve council members shared nervous glances across the table, none willing to be the one to break the tension and risk the whiplash that would likely result.

"Fine," Bogo snorted eventually, still glaring angrily at the new mayor. "But if these military goons fuck this up, like I expect they will, I will hold _you_ personally responsible." He jabbed a hoof angrily at the mayor before pivoting on his heel and storming out of the chamber, slamming the heavy oaken doors behind him.

The silence persisted for several moments in the chamber in the absence of the cape buffalo before eventually being broken.

"I agree that we need help," Sally Mills squeaked from her smaller desk situated on top of the table. The slim-figured rat was the primary spokes-mammal for Little Rodentia and was the longest serving member of the council. She had earned a great deal of respect and friendship through shrewd dealings, and fair treatment of all her fellow mammals. "But Bogo does raise some valid concerns. This will definitely cause new problems that we might regret later on."

"Perhaps," Dawn admitted, turning to look through the floor to ceiling window upon the heart of Zootopia. A dense sea of mammals could be clearly seen below, swarming at the foot of City Hall in protest. "But we'll just have to deal with those problems when they arise. For now, let's just focus on keeping our city intact. However we can."

* * *

Hundreds of years ago, the city of Zootopia had been little more than a sprawling town, on the edge of a bay opening into ocean on its south-eastern side. But by the mid 18th century, the increasing number of provincial conflicts and the growing modernisation of both commerce and military action forced the leaders of the burgeoning city to make major changes.

In 1768, after the city had been severely damaged in an attack from a neighbouring province, the leaders decided to make the difficult and unpopular decision to move the city to a more defensible location. The bay on which the town had been situated alongside had a large peninsula projecting far into the centre of the bay from the north, with the narrow arms of the bay wrapping around the peninsula like an exaggerated crescent moon. While obviously a far more defensible location for a city, the peninsula had not previously been settled as it was densely wooded and barricaded by mountains to the north, where it joined the mainland.

It took the townspeople more than five years to painstakingly clear the interior of the peninsula, and lay out the fundamental structure of what would one day become one of the world's most diverse and advanced cities. With revolutionary foresight, the city was designed to make use of the converging weather systems to create several microclimates within the city itself, catering for many different species. Hot winds blowing east from the centre of the continent, met with cooler, moisture laden air from the ocean and even colder air streams from the arctic north in a unique pattern, that, when combined with the mountains to the north created four main quadrants.

The gently undulating south-western quadrant was subject to warm winds, and mostly dry weather, resulting in a sparse grassland once the forest was cleared. Towards the east, the soil became dry and sandy, and very little grew. The flatness of the terrain meant that once the few trees that had grown in that region were cleared, the hot easterlies scoured the ground resulting in a desert-like environment. Mountains on the mainland deflected arctic northerlies towards the north-eastern portion of the peninsula, meeting with the wet, ocean breezes, dumping large amounts of snow during the winters, and resulting in cold, torrential rain all other times throughout the year. The mountains themselves projected down towards the centre of the peninsula and received the full brunt of both warm winds and wet ocean air and were constantly inundated by rain. On the west side of the mountains, the terrain dropped first to gentle hills with rich, fertile soil and lush meadows, before disappearing into marsh and smaller islands in the other arm of the bay.

However, as time passed and the city grew into a modern metropolis with far more controlled environmental systems, the need for a defensive location disappeared, and instead the isolation of the city became an obstacle to commerce and daily life. So, in addition to the rail bridge to the south and several mountain passes to the north, the city commissioned the construction of three major tunnels running under the bay floor. These would connect the three isolated sides of the peninsula to the more distant portions of mainland. Construction on the western tunnel begun in 1974, and the third was finally completed in 1995. The mammoth network of tunnels had cost millions of dollars and almost as many mammal-hours of labour. The result had been the largest network of such tunnels in the world, and only a small part of the highly advanced and integrated transportation web that supported the city of Zootopia.

* * *

None of this crossed Judas' mind as he emerged from the southern tunnel, shielding his eyes against the sudden, harsh sunlight of the Saharan district. He was focussed, instead, on first finding the only mammal he hoped he could count on to help save the rapidly deteriorating city. As he remained on the highway north towards the city centre, the signs of the deterioration were all about him. Shops with windows smashed in or boarded up. Burnt out cars lay in the street, mostly pushed out of the main roads, but blocking many smaller streets in makeshift barricades. Black smoke and the stench of burnt rubber still drifted from many. Garbage lay strewn about, occasionally blowing about in the gusting wind. Garbage of a different sort also marred the once proud buildings of Zootopia. Crude slogans and graffiti denouncing predators and, to a lesser extent, prey, was scrawled indiscriminately across walls, windows, doors and vehicles. No flat surface was safe from the assault.

Mammals flitted about the city quickly, and without straying from their goals, avoiding contact with anybody else that came across their path. In contrast to what one might've expected, it was the few predators about that looked the most fearful, timidly shrinking away from prey mammals less than half their own size. But their uncharacteristic fear made sense when Judas rounded a bend and saw something he'd never expected to. And something he sincerely hoped to never witness again. A motley gang of prey mammals, brandishing everything from stones and branches to baseball bats and steel pipes, were chasing down the street after a mother wolf and her pups.

Nothing in all the young rabbit's life had prepared him for the white-hot wall of rage that slammed through his system as he watched helpless as a stone arched away through the air from the mob, and struck one of the young pups in the head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Judas let loose a guttural roar that had no right to ever emanate from the throat of such a small mammal. He spun the wheel and illegally crossed the opposing lane of traffic, blessedly empty at the moment, to head down the street where the assault was happening.

The mother wolf had faltered in her flight, turning back desperately to help her fallen son. Tears streaming down her muzzle, she was the first to see the old blue van screaming down the street towards her, a crazed rabbit just visible behind the wheel. But Judas didn't notice how the look of despair on her face changed to shock as he slammed his paw into the horn, giving the gang just enough warning to dive frantically out of the way as he barrelled straight into their midst. He even pretended not to notice the rather ominous bump as his left tyres bounced once, and then twice, over something large and solid, although he couldn't quite shut out the scream of agony that coincided so closely with it.

Emerging from the scattered gang of mammals, he skidded to a stop beside the stunned wolf mother, crouching over her son on the pavement in a protective stance. Three other pups poked their tearful faces around their mother's back. Judas reached over and threw open the passenger door.

"Get in!" He urged desperately. The wolf hesitated for a moment, seeming to weigh up the risks of getting in the stranger's van and the mob that was just beginning to reassemble itself. A soft moan escaped the muzzle of her unconscious son, and she made her choice. She snapped him up in her jaws, and lept into the open door, then yipped a short command triggering her other pups to follow. She slammed the door and Judas shot off again, leaving the still disorganised and stunned mob of prey behind.

Judas drove in silence for several blocks, ears twitching occasionally at the mother wolf's soft crooning. When he was certain they were clear of the threat, he pulled over to the curb and prised his fingers off the wheel. He'd been so tensed up, that his short, blunt nails had managed to gouge the tough plastic and the joints had locked up. Taking a few shuddering breaths to try and calm himself, he turned to his passengers.

"Is… Is he going to be alright?" he gestured worriedly to the cub in his mother's arms. The mother looked up from her son to meet the rabbit's eyes, tears still trickling from her own. She nodded slowly, sniffling loudly as she fought to regain control over her emotions.

"Yes," she croaked, before clearing her throat and trying again. "Yes," her voice sounded a little stronger this time, "thanks to you." She fixed the smaller mammal with an intense look of gratitude. Judas suddenly felt rather uncomfortable under the canine's gaze.

"Well," he chuckled nervously, breaking eye contact, "I was just doing my jo—" he froze up suddenly, remembering that in fact, it was not his job any more. "It was the right thing to do," he muttered instead.

"If you ask me, too few mammals have the courage to do what is right these days, so thank you, for saving my cubs and I." Judas felt a large paw rest on his arm and he looked back up to the wolf, again feeling overwhelmed by the obvious sincerity and gratitude in her face. He was rescued from the moment as the injured cub started moaning and fidgeting.

"Momma?" he whined as the she-wolf scooped him back to her chest, nuzzling the cub's check affectionately. "My head hurts!"

"Hush now, Simon," she whispered gently into his ear. "Momma's got you. You're safe now. You'll be fine."

"Do you want me to take you to a hospital to get him checked out?" Judas asked. At the same time, he noticed that when their mother had said the word 'safe', three pairs of ears had suddenly appeared out of the foot-well behind her legs. He'd almost forgotten about the three other pups.

"No, we'll be fine," she smiled, helping the other children to climb up onto her lap where they then proceeded to check on their brother, making sure he was as fine as their mother claimed. Judas wasn't quite convinced, and the wolf obviously picked up on his uncertainty. "I think you're forgetting just how good a wolf's sense of smell really is," she smiled warmly, "If there was any severe damage, I'd be able to smell the chemical response of his body. It might not tell me exactly what is wrong, but I can smell that there's nothing too concerning right now." Her smile took on a teasing glint at Judas' continued look of uncertainty.

"It's been said," she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "that a finely tuned wolf nose can detect not just what you ate for dinner three days ago, but the colour napkin you used as well." She leaned closer and took a theatrical sniff of the air in front of Judas. "Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, you had carrot bake? With garlic bread? Aaaand…" she took another quick sniff, "you didn't use a napkin at all! My! What a messy rabbit!" Judas' jaw dropped wider with every correct deduction, and the wolf's grin grew wider.

"How the…" Judas trailed off in astonishment.

"Oh! Oh! I can smell good too!" one of the uninjured pups jumped up excitedly.

"No! It's sniff good, silly!" his sister corrected proudly, joining both her uninjured brothers in bounding across to Judas, swarming him before he could react. They all quickly started smelling and jumping about excitedly.

"I smell carrots!" one shouted triumphantly.

"Of course you do! He's a rabbit, silly!" the girl giggled, sniffing Judas' cheek. "I smell pancakes!" she squealed in delight.

"He smells like dirt!"

"And grass!"

"Flowers!"

"Sunshine!"

Judas didn't know quite what to think of the situation as the three wolf cubs kept jumping and scrambling all over him and the bench seat, tails wagging, and often buffeting him in the face. He was used to rather enthusiastic group hugs at home, especially from the younger family members, but being crawled over by three strange cubs that were each nearly as big as himelf was a little unnerving. He wasn't afraid so much as uncomfortable, but he did his best to put on a smile and let the kids have their fun. It didn't hurt that the pups were all so damned _cute_ as they bounded about in pure joy. Even a rabbit kit would be hard pressed to equal their energy and enthusiasm.

"Peter! Kate! Edward!" the older wolf snapped. "Stop that _immediately_! I've told you before, it's _rude_ to go about sniffing other mammals like that!" The pups quickly dropped their paws away from Judas and hung their heads in shame, somehow managing to look even cuter than they had before.

"It's alright," Judas smiled, placing one paw on top of Kate's head and giving her a gentle scratch behind the ear. Her smile instantly returned to her face, and her tail began madly wagging to and fro. "It's just some harmless fun."

"Are you sure? We try to teach them how to use their noses properly, but usually only within the pack. Most other mammals feel uncomfortable with how much we can smell."

"Well, that may be the case," Judas chuckled, "but this goes both ways here. When you got into the car, your heart rate was hammering along at almost 250 beats per minute. It slowly dropped down to 112 as we drove away, before spiking again just now, to 162." He smirked at the now shocked face of the wolf. He enjoyed turning the tables on his passenger.

"Well," she snorted in amusement, "I guess those ears aren't just for show after all!" They both shared a chuckle at that.

"Mr Rabbit?" Both adults turned to look at Kate who now had a frown on her face, "Why do you smell so sad?"

" _Kate!_ " her mother yelped while Judas' ears and face fell in response to the question. If the mother had been embarrassed before, she was completely mortified now. "That is _not_ okay! Apologise to Mr…?"

"Judas. Judas Hopps," he supplied quietly, fighting back the emotions that the question had exposed.

"Sorry Mr Judas," the young pup whimpered.

"It's alright, kiddo," Judas scratched her gently behind the ear again. "Gee," he forced a laugh, "do all canines have such a great sense of smell, or is it just wolves?"

"Most of us have a pretty keen nose, but it varies a bit from species to species," the mother wolf explained, still fixing her daughter with a stern glare.

"And, uh, foxes would have a similar sense of smell too then?"

"I guess so," she turned to Judas in confusion, "I don't really know that many foxes myself. Why?"

"Well, a friend of mine is a fox. At least, I hope she's still my friend. I said some pretty hurtful things on the TV a little while back, and she was rather upset by them."

"Wait? You're _that_ rabbit? The first rabbit in the ZPD?"

"Yeah. I'm him," Judas sighed, looking away from the wolf in shame. "I guess that all of this," he gestured out of the windows with his paw, "is all my fault."

"No."

"Huh?" Judas looked up at the wolf raising an eyebrow at the statement.

"No. My brother, Brian Wolford told me about you. He said that you and that fox friend of yours found all those missing predators by yourselves without any help from the rest of the precinct. He was rather impressed you know."

"You're Brian's sister?" Judas asked incredulously.

"Yes, Sarah's my name," she finally introduced herself. "And you know what else my brother told me about you?" Judas shook his head mutely. "He said that he'd never seen anyone so genuinely hurt by their own mistake and try so hard to rectify it. I think he was quite upset when you left the force. He felt that the ZPD needed more officers like you, and now that I've seen what you're willing to do to help those in need," she waved a paw behind her in the direction they had come from, "I agree completely."

As Sarah spoke, Judas felt his heart swell with hope and a touch of joy. He'd been too busy after the conference to pay any attention to his fellow officers outside of work hours, and hadn't really expected anyone to be particularly supportive of him, let alone _fond_ of him like Brian seemed to have been. The thought gave him some much-needed strength. It also reminded him again of the reason he was in the city.

"Sarah, can you do me a favour?" he asked

"Of course!" she smiled, "What do you need?"

"I need you to get a message to your brother. This whole savagery crisis? Its artificial. Some _one_ is using a derivative from a flower called 'Night Howler' to induce savage behaviour in predators. I don't know who yet, but they're responsible for all this panic and violence. I tried to get through to Chief Bogo, but the secretary wouldn't transfer my call."

Sarah stared open mouthed at Judas. Even the pups had all gone silent at the revelation.

"A-are you _sure_ about this?" she stammered, eyes glinting with hope. Judas nodded. "You mean there's no chance I could just randomly go crazy and…" she coughed to clear her throat, before continuing in a choked whisper, "and attack my children?"

"No chance at all. As long as whoever is doing this doesn't have a chance to expose you with the chemical."

Sarah slumped back in her seat, still cradling Simon in her arms. Intense relief washed over her face. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Now, where can I drop you that's safe?" Judas asked, "I need to try and find Nicky. The fox," he explained to the questioning glance Sarah gave him. "She might be the only mammal who can help me find out who is truly responsible for all this."

"Oh, just here's fine," Sarah smiled. "Our pack lives just over there in that building," she pointed to a large stone building across and down the street. "We should be plenty safe getting there from here. If you don't mind me asking, how did you hope to find Nicky? The city isn't exactly the safest place for predators at the moment, and I expect foxes might be having an even harder time of it than many others."

"Well, she lives Downtown in the Golden Fields apartment complex. I was just going to head on over there and see if she was home."

"I'm sorry to say, Judas, but that complex was closed down over a week ago after a mob broke in and began terrorising the residents. It was a mostly predator complex. She won't be there." Seeing Judas' face fall at the news, she quickly added, "But I might suggest you go and take a look over in Sahara Square. A lot of predators have temporarily relocated there because it's too hot for most of the gangs to do more than march about in protest. She just _might_ be there."

"Thanks, Sarah. I'll check it out." Judas' ears remained pinned to the back of his head, showing just how much hope he had that he would happen to run into Nicky by chance. Sarah noticed too, but knew there was nothing further she could do except to let him start searching.

"Come on kids, it's time to go. Say thank you to Mr Hopps for saving us!" A chorus of thank you's rang out from all four of the cubs, and the three uninjured ones lept forward to hug the rabbit. Judas basked in the warmth of the hug for a moment before he was startled by a sudden warm wetness on his right cheek. He turned in surprise to the now blushing Kate.

"Thank you for rescuing us Mr Judas," she whispered bashfully before bounding over to her mother who had stepped out of the car. Judas raised his paw to the spot the cub had just licked. Although not exactly a common practice in Bunnyburrow, he knew that among many predators, licking was much the same as a kiss, and the thought warmed his heart.

"I can't thank you enough, Judas," Sarah leaned in through the window. "You saved Simon, and perhaps all of our lives today. Regardless of what anyone else might say, I think you'd make a wonderful police officer."

Judas smiled at the she-wolf, "Just make sure that Brian gets that message as soon as possible and tell him to be ready for anything. I'll try and contact them again if we can find out who's responsible."

"Good luck, Judas," Sarah smiled and stepped back from the car. Judas waved back at her and the pups as he took off down the street again, heading now for Sahara Square.

* * *

Judas' fingers drummed rapidly on the steering wheel as he drove down yet another street in his spiralling search of Sahara Square. The mixture of impatience and worry that he was feeling was twisting his stomach into a painful knot. He didn't know how much longer he could keep searching in the vain hope of spotting Nicky, but he also didn't know how else to go tracking down the only lead he had. Who else would be better suited to help him find Duke Weaselton than the vixen who 'knew everyone'?

But aside from the very tangible feeling that time was quickly running out, Judas was worried about Nicky herself. Sarah's warning that foxes were likely receiving even worse treatment than other predators had sent a shard of fear straight into the rabbit's heart.

"What if something's happened to her?" he muttered, eyes constantly flicking back and forth to both sides of the street he drove down. _'What if another gang caught her? She could be in hospital! Or lying in a ditch, bleeding… Or…or…'_ He choked back a sob and slammed down the thought. That sort of worry wasn't going to help him, or Nicky, he realised. _'And these tears are making it rather difficult to see clearly!'_ he thought wryly, drying his eyes with the back of his paw.

"I wonder what Nicky would say if she could see me now?" he asked himself with a weak smile. "She's probably sitting by a pool somewhere sipping a cocktail, and here I am, whimpering like a little kit who's lost his blanket! Well, she needn't find out, I—"

Judas slammed on the brakes and cut himself off mid-sentence, the car screeching to a halt. A few passing mammals spared the small blue truck a curious glance, but then moved on. Judas, on the other paw, gripped the wheel tightly, panting slightly and his bulging eyes staring dead ahead. ' _I almost missed it!'_ he fretted, slipping the gear stick into reverse, and twisting about to see clearly behind himself. He slowly backed up the street until he was parallel with a small side alley with a familiar looking van parked in the shadows of the two neighbouring buildings. The dramatic mural artwork that wrapped around the body of the van was looking a little more worse for wear than Judas remembered and new dents and scratches criss-crossed each side.

But there was no mistaking the van, it was most definitely the same one that Nicky and her con partner had driven about in on the day Judas had first met the fox. It was Finnick's van. That much was certain. _'The question is,'_ Judas asked himself, ' _Is whether Nicky's in there or not.'_

Cautiously, he parked the truck and got out. He quietly made his way to the driver's cabin, but found it empty, although, he could hear muffled movements in the body of the van. He retreated to the back of the van and softly knocked on the door, nervously biting his lower lip.

The movement inside the van stopped abruptly, and Judas feared that whoever was inside would pretend they weren't. But, thankfully, after a moment his ears detected the barest of noises from within, and he stepped back from the doors to make room for them to open. It was just as well he did, because the next thing he knew, the doors burst open, barely missing the rabbit in their violent arcs.

"Who's there?" demanded the fennec fox standing poised to strike in the centre of the doorway. He held a slightly too-large wooden baseball bat in his paws, and looked about ready to take on anyone, although Judas could also see fear in his eyes. He quickly stepped back a pace and raised both empty paws towards the small, but furious fox.

"Okay, okay. It's just me. Judas. You know, Officer –"

"I know who you are," Finnick growled as he lowered the bat. Judas noticed, however, that the fennec didn't loosen his grip on the weapon at all. "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Nicky. She's not here, is she?" Judas asked hopefully.

"No. She's not."

"Well, do you know where she is?" Judas prompted.

"Maybe. Why should I tell you?"

Judas' shoulders sagged at the curt response, although he realised he probably deserved it. "I, uh. I need her help. And," he added quickly at Finnick's disgusted scoff, "I need to apologise." That at least elicited a raised eyebrow from the smaller fox.

"Look, I screwed up, okay? I said some dumb, stupid things at the conference, but I tried to find her the next day to apologise. But that's beside the point right now. This whole crisis," Judas waved his paw behind him, indicating the city, "is artificial. I need her help to track down the _mammal_ that's causing all this, and Nicky might be the _only_ one who can actually help me right now! So, _please_! I need to know where she is! It might be the only way to stop this insanity!" Judas didn't realise that he'd been raising his voice as he spoke until he finished, finding himself almost yelling at the stunned fennec fox.

"A-artificial?" he gasped, slumping heavily to sit on lip of the van's door. "You're certain?"

"Yes. I mean, think about it. Why, after a city like Zootopia has had peace between prey and predators for so long, should predators randomly start attacking? No, somebody is targeting predators!"

"Shit," Finnick whispered softly.

"Yeah. So, if you could tell me –"

"Cannal district."

"Huh?"

"There's an old warehouse at an abandoned dock in the district. Whenever things went really bad in the old days, that's where she would go to hide out."

"Like after her falling out with Mr Big?"

"Yes, ex- hey! How'd you know about that?"

"She told me," Judas explained quickly. "Now, can you please tell me how to get to the warehouse? I'm kinda in a hurry."

Finnick acquiesced, and briefly described the best route to Nicky's old haunt, warning him to avoid trying to cut through the city centre on his way. The entire CBD had been locked up by protests, violence and blockades for the last three days straight.

"Hey, Finnick? Lay low for the next day or two," Judas warned as he thanked the fox. "Things are probably going to get pretty hot soon."

"Ha!" he snorted, "What'd you think I'm doing? Of course I'm going to lay low! Stupid rabbit!" He muttered the last part as he moved to shut the van doors behind him, but Judas didn't hear any venom behind the words this time, and a small smile formed on his muzzle as he jogged back to his van, having a clear sense of direction for the first time in weeks.

* * *

It didn't take Judas long to follow Finnick's directions to the Canal district on the north-western edge of the Zootopian Peninsula. It was easy to see why the area had been abandoned. The old, wooden docks had been built in the earlier days of Zootopia to ferry goods to and from the mainland, but they had been built on unstable ground that had subsided over time, slowly reducing them to little more than festering marshland.

Compared to the gradual destruction of the docks, and the slow move of shipping to the western edge of the peninsula with the increase in international commerce, the stench of rotting vegetation had been only a small factor in abandoning the region. However, Judas assumed that it was a much larger factor for Nicky in choosing the location for her hideout. Few mammals would enjoy living with the constant smell of rot assaulting their nostrils. In addition, the same stench would confuse the noses of anyone trying to track someone down. Although an unpleasant locale, Judas had to admit, it was one that made sense, especially in light of the current crisis.

He drove down a dirt road towards the northern end of the docks, the empty plots of land to either side of the long ago having been reclaimed by wild grass, shrubs and willow trees. As he crested a small rise, a warehouse matching Finnick's description came into view in the distance and he felt his hopes rise. He didn't even need to make it all the way to the warehouse before he caught sight of Nicky, her red fur standing out like a beacon in the otherwise dreary landscape.

She may not have been sitting by a pool, in fact she was reclining on an old lawn chair in a dry river bed, but Judas couldn't help but snicker when he saw the cocktail in the vixen's paw. She was wearing a similar shirt to the one he'd first seen her in, a faded floral design, but this time with blue denim jeans. A pair of mirrored aviator style sunglasses hid her eyes from the rabbit as he parked on the bridge above her, but he was sure that the vixen had seen him pull up. A mammal like Nicky could never afford to be that unobservant.

Judas bounded out of the truck the almost before the engine fell silent, and was racing around to the river bank with a relieved grin plastered across his muzzle.

"Nicky! Oh, am I glad to see you!" he called out, descending to the fox. "Flowers! Night Howlers are flowers, not wolves after all! Someone's using toxic flowers to _force_ predators to go savage!" He reached her side and waited for her reply. For a moment, the vixen acted as if she hadn't heard Judas, slowly taking another sip from her drink before setting it aside on the esky beside her chair, causing the rabbit's ears to droop and his smile to fade.

"Well," she drawled, rising equally slowly from her seat, "isn't that _fascinating_." Her cold tone felt like a slap in the face to Judas.

' _Damn! What the hell were you thinking, dumb rabbit!'_ he berated himself as Nicky turned away and deliberately began making her way towards the underside of the bridge, paws in her pockets. _'You should've started off with the apology! Not the case!'_

"Nicole," he spoke up quietly, "I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. Now and before." Judas started after the vixen, but still giving her some distance. "At the conference, I said some stupid and hurtful things to you, and about all predators." Nicky came to a stop on the other side of the bridge, but resolutely kept her back to Judas. He came to a stop as well, and hung his head to stare at the dirt between his feet.

"I wasn't thinking," he began to plead, desperately trying to hold back tears. "I was prejudiced, bigoted and _smallminded_." His voice began to crack and the tears broke through his defences. He felt as if someone was clawing at his heart as all the pent up hurt and raw emotion from the past month broke through the floodgates all at once.

"I-I'm sorry, Nicky!" he sobbed, "I hurt you, a-and so many others! I never wanted to hurt anyone!" A rasping breath wrenched itself from his lungs as he forged ahead, screwing his paws into fists defiantly. "But I need your help to make this right! A-and i-if you hate me, I'll understand. Because, I've been a terrible friend!" Judas gasped for breath, fighting each word out past the painful lump in his throat. "I'm nothing but a stupid, _dumb_ bunny!" Judas' light panting was the only sound to be heard in the ensuing silence. He couldn't bring himself to raise his head and see Nicky's mocking face leering down at him, and so continued to fix his bleary gaze on the dusty ground.

"I am _so_ sorry, Nicky," he repeated softly.

" _I am_ so _sorry, Nicky."_ A scratchy rewinding noise broke the silence before the tinny echo of Judas' voice repeated itself. _"I am_ so _sorry, Nicky."_

Judas raised his head in confusion to locate the source of the unexpected sound, rapidly blinking his eyes in an attempt to clear them. Instead, he suddenly found himself enveloped in a warm, red-furred embrace.

"That's all I needed to hear, Carrots," Nicky whispered gently into Judas' ear, tightening her hold on the rabbit ever so slightly. She wiggled a small orange device in front of his nose. A few more blinks revealed it to be an carrot shaped device with a couple of buttons and a grating for a recorder and speaker. A strangled laugh escaped his mouth as Judas wrapped his arms about Nicky, returning the hug, hope rekindling in his heart that perhaps he hadn't lost her as a friend.

"Hmm!" Nicky snorted lightly, "You bunnies! Always so emotional!"

"Oh, shut up!" Judas smiled, tightening his hold slightly and nuzzling gently into the soft fur of Nicky's shoulder before gently releasing her and stepping back. He scrubbed his palms into his eyes to wipe away the last of the tears. A small, but happy smile adorned his muzzle. Nicky wore a similar smile as they both stood in comfortable silence for a moment. At some point during the whole episode, Nicky had removed her glasses, revealing her dazzling emerald irises that glinted with what Judas recognised as real happiness, not just the façade she had presented the first time they met.

Nicky, meanwhile, looked into the deep blue of Judas' eyes, which although obviously happy now, were still red-rimmed and bloodshot. Most of that was bound to have been from his emotional outpouring just moments ago, but she was experienced enough at reading mammals to detect the underlying pain and heartache in them. It sent a shiver of remorse through her.

"Judas," her shoulders sagged a little, and now she diverted her gaze, "I, ah. This," she gestured between them with her paw, "wasn't just your fault. I overreacted too at the conference. You were under a lot of stress, hadn't slept and weren't trained for that sort of thing. Besides," she sighed softly, looking back at the buck, "I shouldn't have threatened you like that. It was wrong. I know what you've been through, and I would have reacted just as badly if you had threatened me with a muzzle. Perhaps worse." She rubbed her arm self-consciously. "So, um, I'm sorry too."

"Apology accepted," Judas smiled warmly back at her, and Nicky felt something inside herself soften at the words. She wasn't used to admitting she was wrong about anything, and apologising was almost an entirely foreign concept. She'd worried that perhaps Judas might have been mad at her for making him pour his heart out when it hadn't truly been just his fault. But instead, the young rabbit had instantly accepted her apology, and managed to swipe away her fears with just a smile. She had seriously missed that small, genuine smile over the past month and a half.

"No hard feelings?"

"Huh?" Nicky blinked, realising suddenly that she'd been staring at the rabbit. "Oh, no. None at all!" She was glad once again for her red fur for hiding the faint blush that crept along her cheeks.

"Great! Well, um, do you think that we might be able to get a move on perhaps? We are kinda on a time schedule again," he smirked briefly. "That is," he added quickly, "if you want to help me?"

"Of course I'll help you, Fluff!" Nicky chuckled, leading the way back towards Judas' truck. "Especially if what you said is true, and that this is some sort of conspiracy!"

"Oh! Yes it is! I'll tell you all about it on the way. Which reminds me," he dug into his pocket to retrieve his phone, quickly tapping away at the screen to bring up a saved page on his news app. He held it up to Nicky, showing an image of Duke Weaselton in his customary dirty singlet top. The story was from the day that Judas had chased him through the streets of Little Rodentia. "Do you recognise this guy and know where we could find him?"

"I told you, Carrots, I know everyone!" Nicky smirked, "And, I also happen to know _precisely_ where we can find this particular piece of trash."

"Brilliant! Well, let's get going then!" Judas was a little surprised at the undertone of disgust in Nicky's voice when talking about the weasel, but he didn't exactly hold the petty crook in high regard either. He walked past the tray of the truck to get to the cabin, but Nicky, however froze at the sight of the crates sitting in the back.

"Blueberries?!" she exclaimed excitedly, startling Judas a little. "Are these from your farm?" she asked, snatching a small pawful and tossing them into her mouth one at a time. She scrunched her eyes shut and let out a blissful moan as the first one dissolved on her tongue. They were easily the sweetest and tastiest blueberries she'd ever eaten.

"Ha! Yep! They certainly are," Judas smiled at the vixen's reaction. "What, you didn't think we only grew carrots did you?" he teased. The guilty look on Nicky's face gave her away, and Judas laughed out loud.

"Come on," he chuckled, grabbing a small basket from behind the driver's seat filling it with more of the blue fruits. "Get in!" Nicky practically vaulted into the passenger side and reached for the seatbelt to buckle in. She glanced about in confusion as Judas got in and passed her the berries.

"No seatbelts?" she asked, "Isn't that illegal?"

"Only if the car is fitted with them," Judas explained, starting the engine. "Now, where to?"

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **So, just a couple of things about this chapter that I feel compelled to explain.**

 **Firstly, as I'm sure some of you remember from chapter 13 as Nicky and Judas are making their way to the Asylum I introduced some world history that was rather different to our own, including three World War type events. Here I also continue to allude to a rather different global history in this world to our own. Is there a good reason that I'm doing this? Yes. Yes there is. Am I going to tell you exactly why? No. Not yet at least! What I will do though, is explain a little about my imagined structure for the North American continent where this story takes place.**

 **The continent is split up into a number of closely allied city-states in the Federated States of America. Each state is primarily responsible for the majority of its own affairs, and defines their own set of laws. The Mayor of each city-state is roughly equivalent to the head of a nation, but more closely approximating a Prime Minister than, say, a President, but still with a few more limitations. The Federated States are also subject to joined Federation rule and law, managed by the Federation Council. An independent military force is also maintained for mutual protection and aid in times of crisis. In war, each state would be expected to supply additional forces to supplement this force. Hence, within each state, the police force is the primary law enforcement organisation with more powers and responsibilities than a police force might in our world. This structure is loosely based off the structure of the Federation in Star Trek where independent planets, each with their own laws and customs, are subject to combined governance but also protection. Hey, there's a reason I go by TrekkerTim!**

 **Secondly, the whole scene with Sarah Wolford (she's married to another Wolford male in the pack, not an unlikely, or even unusual occurrence!) was not at all planned, and just sort of happened. More importantly, the discussion on wolf sense of smell is based on the extreme sensitivity of canine olfactory receptors and the fact that some dogs today have been used to detect cancer, and so Sarah being able to surmise her son's condition isn't that far fetched in my opinion. In addition, the information I used for her heart rate comes from a paper I found online titled: _"Blood pressure in free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus) immobilized with tiletamine and zolazepam"_ I am not a zoologist, or even biologically minded, so if you feel I've made a mistake with any of that, please forgive me, but this is just a fan- _fiction_ after all.**

 **Thanks! I hope to be back soon with the next installment as things begin to heat up again, but until then, so long, and stay safe! :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:**

 **When I first started writing this story, I was completely inexperienced with writing anything longer than a few thousand word essay or lab report, and now this story has reached over _100 000_ words! What's more, with the last chapter I posted where I first exceeded that milestone, I also passed my 100th favourite, which is just fantastic! I had always hoped that more than just a few people out there would read and enjoy what I wrote, but to actually see proof of that? Well, let's just say its a huge encouragement to me as a budding writer, and has helped to keep me motivated. So, I just want to say a _huge_ thank you to every one of you that has followed, favourited, reviewed or PM'd me about this story. I write this partially for myself, but largely for you guys, and I doubt it would be as good as it is, or improving as much as it is, without you!**

 **Oh, and don't fret that the story is approaching the climax from the movie, there's still a ways to go before I'll be happy with it!**

 **Now, without further ado, have at thee!**

* * *

 _Chapter 20: Going Deeper_

"So, let me get this straight," Nicky paused to bite down on yet another blueberry. Judas smirked at the faint purple stain that was starting to spread to the fur around her lips. The fox, however, either didn't notice, or didn't care about the stain, and resumed summarising Judas' explanation. "This little flower, this 'Night Howler'? Can cause mammals to become aggressive and attack others. Even rabbits?"

"Yep," Judas confirmed, concentrating on the road in front of him. They were just re-entering the populated region of the city, and he now had to watch out for cars and mammals again. "My uncle once attacked my mother when they were younger after eating one. She still has a scar where he bit her."

"Ha! I guess you bunnies are more than just cute bundles of fluff after all!" Judas shot the grinning vixen a glare for her use of the c-word. Nicky laughed, and continued after snapping up a couple more berries.

"And you think there's someone out there who's worked this out and feeding mammals these flowers to make them go savage and attack, right?"

"Not exactly," Judas clarified. "I think that someone's been able to identify the chemical, or chemicals, in the flower responsible for making mammals go crazy, and is somehow concentrating it or something like that. Then they're exposing predators to it. Probably without them even knowing it."

"How? In their food? Water?"

"I really don't know, but I doubt it's in food or water. Remember how suddenly Manchas went savage?" Nicky nodded in agreement, the harrowing memories from that morning enough to dull her appetite for a few minutes at least. She put down the basket between her and Judas.

"I guess the more important question," she reasoned, "is why. What benefit is it to cause mass panic in the city? I can't think of anyone who would benefit from this sort of violence and insanity. Businesses have mostly come to a standstill. Food stores are empty, hospitals are crowded and all mammals are scared. Predators _and_ prey."

"If I knew that, we wouldn't be bothering to chase down Weaselton, now, would we?" Judas replied.

"I know, I know. I was just thinking out loud."

The pair fell silent as Judas continued to make his way through the city, following prompts from both his phone's GPS and, on occasion, Nicky. The constant reminders outside the car of the sorry state the city was in kept the mood inside rather subdued. Eager for anything to talk about that might lighten things even just a little, Judas noticed Nicky fiddling absentmindedly with the orange recording device she'd used earlier.

"So, what's with the plastic carrot, Nicky? Did ya miss me, or something?" he teased. They both knew the tone was forced, but Nicky jumped at the opportunity to joke with the rabbit.

"Wait? Did you go somewhere, Fluff?" she gasped. "How did I not notice? Oh, that's right! I had this _cute_ little carrot talking back to me the whole time!" Judas rolled his eyes, and let out an exaggerated sigh, much to the vixen's amusement.

"Yes, about that. Where on Earth did you find a recorder carrot thing?" Judas asked.

"Oh, it was just on some mixed display at a supermarket. They had all these strange little gadgets, like this pen."

"Huh. And you got it because…?" Judas prompted with a smirk.

"Oh, you know. A certain rabbit managed to blackmail me with some voice recording. I didn't want to be stuck in the same situation again," she explained smugly.

"Oh," Judas' ears drooped in concern, worry gnawing at the back of his mind. "So, um, how much of that back there did you record?" he asked nervously. When Nicky's grin grew, he knew his worry was well founded after all.

" _I'm nothing but a stupid,_ dumb _bunny!"_

"Enough," Nicky grinned wickedly, putting the pen down. Judas wanted nothing more than to plant his face into the steering wheel in embarrassment. But seeing as that could have drastic consequences while driving along a main road, he had to settle for the biggest, most exasperated groan he could manage.

"Talk about blackmail," he muttered darkly as Nicky continued to giggle madly.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Judas pulled up to the curb and put the truck in park. They were in a neighbourhood on the border of both the Savanna and Sahara districts. Judas wouldn't exactly have described the location as run-down, but it certainly wasn't well maintained or even tidy at the best of times. Although, the fear and uncertainty that seemed to permeate the air throughout the entire city did at least, seem more subdued here. Most mammals walked about more casually and in less hurry than he had noticed elsewhere. Judas reasoned that the likely reason was because this area had not yet been impacted directly by any savage attacks. And now that he knew the attacks were being orchestrated by a mammal, or group of mammals, it made sense. Why target a small insignificant neighbourhood when you would get far greater coverage in a more densely populated one?

"I forgot to ask earlier," Nicky opened her door and joined Judas on the pavement, "Why exactly are we chasing Duke? He's hardly more than a petty crook, what would he know about all this?"

"You remember the story Anthony was telling at his and Fru Fru's wedding? Well, I'd been chasing him because he'd robbed a florist." Understanding slowly dawned on Nicky's face, her mouth forming a small 'o' shape. "Yep," Judas confirmed, "he had stolen a bag of Night Howler bulbs. It makes sense that he was doing it _for_ someone."

"And you want to find out _who_. Got ya, Fluff!"

The pair rounded a corner to see a trestle table set up further down the street in the mouth of an alley, the target of their search leaning casually beside it. He was dressed in his usual dirty singlet top and black sports shorts, a lit cigarette hanging from his lip.

Judas couldn't make out what exactly was on the table, but it seemed to be attracting the attention of many of the passing mammals who stopped to peruse the goods. Every time a new potential customer came along, Duke would straighten and try to engage the passing mammal, but his exuberant attitude seemed to be repelling more mammals than it attracted. _'Or perhaps it's his smell,'_ Judas reasoned, wrinkling his nose in distaste as a gust of wind carried the weasel's scent towards the approaching pair. Aside from the pungent body odour that he had noticed the first time he had arrested him, Weaselton also reeked of cigarette smoke, cheap booze and one or two more less pleasant sources that the rabbit couldn't quite place.

Remembering his discussion with Sarah Wolford earlier, Judas glanced up at the fox beside him to see how she was faring. Nicky seemed to be putting on a brave face under the gross assault her nose was being forced to endure, but Judas noticed the twitching under her right eye, and the unconscious clenching of her paws and jaw. _'Sometimes,'_ he thought with a twinge of sympathy for the fox, _'it must suck to have a canine nose.'_

As they approached the table, Judas tuned into the conversation that the weasel was having with an elderly armadillo.

"… think of your safety, Miss!" Duke pleaded, although the tone of his voice hinted at anything other than concern for her safety. "What if one of these savage mammals comes after you next?" The armadillo also seemed to pick up on the underlying greed in his voice, and turned to continue walking, surprising Judas as he recognised his former landlady, Mrs Tate. She didn't seem to recognise him though, and passed the rabbit and fox, ignoring the desperate sounding cries from Duke, offering to cut her a deal.

Sighing, he turned to face the two new mammals approaching his stand with a greasy smile, which quickly morphed into a scowl as he recognised who they were.

"Weselton," Nicky greeted with her cocky grin, intentionally mispronouncing the name.

"It's _Weaselton_ , you dumb fox," he spat. Judas' ears twitched in annoyance, unhappy with the way Duke spoke to his friend. Nicky, on the other paw, seemed quite okay with the treatment, leading Judas to believe this might have been part of some game the fox played whenever she dealt with Weaselton.

"So," Nicky continued unperturbed, "what's the 'Duke of Bootleg' selling today? Fake DVDs? Cigarettes? Booze? Aha!"

"What's it to you, Wilde?" Duke sneered, stepping in front of the small sign tacked to the edge of the table before Judas could read what Nicky had. Duke glared at the rabbit pointedly, before returning his sneer to Nicky. "You know he's a copper, right?" he jerked a thumb in Judas' direction.

"Actually, no I'm not anymore," Judas spoke up, "luckily for you it seems. What's this you've got here? Class four tasers. Riot-grade pepper spray, brass knuckles, sonic disruptors." Judas nimbly ducked around Duke, easily dodging his attempt to block him, and picked up one of the tasers from the table. "These are designed to be used on mammals like lions, hippos and bears," he casually identified, turning the device over in his paws. He levelled the weapon at Duke "If I shot you with one of these," he stated icily, "it would probably kill you."

Duke had stopped moving and was now fixing Judas with a steady, but nervous stare. His tongue flicked out at regular intervals, moistening his lips. Nicky, however, was watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

"Carrots!" she hissed, "What are you doing? We need him!" Judas ignored the interruption and casually leaned back against the table, keeping the taser levelled at Duke.

"So, _Duke_ ," Judas smiled flatly, "we can do this the easy way, or the hard way," he raised the paw with the taser for emphasis on 'hard'. "Why did you steel those Night Howler bulbs, and who were they for?" Judas kept his tone level, and face blank, but he smiled internally when he noticed Duke's eyes widen, and a touch of fear cross his face. _'I bet you weren't expecting_ that _question!'_ Judas chuckled to himself.

"You won't shoot me with that!" Duke sneered, gesturing at the weapon held confidently in Judas' paws. "You're a cop!"

"Ex-cop, remember?" Judas raised the taser higher, pointing it directly into Duke's face, much to Nicky's growing apprehension. "I bet this'll really sting if I have to shoot you, Weselton," he smirked coldly, mispronouncing his name like Nicky had.

"I don't believe you rabbit. Go on, shoot me then!" Duke snarled at the rabbit defiantly.

"Alright then, if you insist," Judas replied evenly, re-aiming at the weasel's chest.

He pulled the trigger.

"Judas!" Nicky yelped frantically, too late, as the taser shot its prongs, crackling with electricity, into the dirty fabric of Duke's singlet.

Weaselton flinched as the tiny pulse of current raced between the electrodes. Smiling imperiously, he plucked the prongs out of his chest, and tossed them to the ground. His expression did falter somewhat as he looked up to see the rabbit smiling nonchalantly. Nicky on the other paw, stood gaping at the two mammals in front of her, trying desperately to work out what just happened, and why Duke was still standing, let alone alive.

"But… He… How…?"

"Relax, Nicky. It was a fake," Judas explained calmly, keeping his eyes fixed on Duke. "A repurposed class one, if I'm not mistaken?" he asked the weasel. Duke stormed up to the rabbit, and snatched the counterfeit weapon from his paws. Judas let it go easily.

"What gave it away?" he snapped.

"It was pretty obvious really, well, to anyone who's actually shot a class four or five before," Judas answered. "The casing's shoddy, it's the wrong size, and about three times too light to be the real thing." Duke's scowl deepened and he slammed the taser onto the table in frustration.

Judas glanced over at Nicky to make sure she was alright. The shock of seeing Judas seem so ready to kill, followed by the anticlimactic result had unsettled her, but she seemed to have regained her usual calm.

"Now," Judas returned his attention to Duke, "are you going to tell me what you know about the Night Howlers, or are we going to have to do something _truly_ drastic?"

"Oh, yeah? And what might that be, rabbit?" Duke flicked away his now dead cigarette butt and pulled out a fresh one from his pocket.

Nicky sauntered up behind the weasel, giving Judas a wink, "Hmm, well, I was thinking Mr Big might be interested in meeting you, _Weselton_ ," she suggested. Duke froze at the mention of the shrew, paws cupped around the end of his cigarette in preparation for lighting it.

"Mr… Big?" he asked nervously, "W-why would he want to meet me?"

"Well, it certainly isn't about your savvy business dealings, I'll say that," Nicky commented dryly, laying both paws heavily on his shoulders, causing Duke to flinch violently. "But, I think it might have something to do with you almost killing his son-in-law."

"Wait, what? I never did anything of the sort!" he exclaimed, cigarette and lighter both falling to the ground, forgotten in his panic.

"Oh, yes you did," Judas glared at the weasel. "Remember when I was chasing you through Little Rodentia and you pushed over that building? Anthony, Big's son-in-law, was one of the mammals you nearly killed."

"And if Officer Fluff here hadn't come to his rescue, you would have been responsible for the death of one of the Big family." Nicky leaned forward, speaking directly into the fretting weasel's ear. "So, not only does Mr Big have reason to _dislike_ you, he also owes him," Nicky nodded towards Judas, "a favour."

"Now, we really don't have a lot of time to waste, so—"

"I don't know about that, Carrots," Nicky cut in, sending the rabbit a surreptitious wink, "I know a few shortcuts, it'll only take us twenty minutes to Mr Big's manor."

"You think so? Alright, it's probably the easiest way to get him talking," Judas mused, ignoring the frantic looks the weasel was shooting between the fox and rabbit. "But I don't want him inside the cabin of the truck. I'll never get the stench out."

"That's fine with me," Nicky replied with a snort, tightening her grip on Duke's shoulders. She began to force him down the footpath back the way they'd come. "I think I saw some rope in the back of the truck. We can tie him to the tray."

"Hey! Wait a min—"

"That sounds like a pretty good idea, Nicky," Judas steamrolled over Duke's weak protest. "Although, I can't imagine his current wardrobe will keep him all that warm once we cross into Tundra Town."

"Hold on—"

"It'll just prepare him for being iced," Nicky suggested calmly. Judas nodded in agreement.

"Stop!" Weaselton cried, trying to brace himself against Nicky's direction with his feet, but Judas joined the fox in pushing him along. "Please! I'll talk! I'll talk!" Duke whined. His eyes were darting about madly, his paws were shaking and he'd broken out in a cold sweat. Judas really didn't enjoy causing this much fear in other mammals, but he was struggling to find much sympathy for the snivelling thief in their custody. This one had been willing to kill dozens of mammals just to evade arrest for petty theft, and that left him at the bottom of the barrel as far as Judas was concerned.

However, Duke Weaselton was willing to give them the information they needed, and Judas didn't have the time, or inclination, to exact his own form of justice.

"Then talk," Judas demanded, bringing them all to a stop.

"I don't know much—," Duke began, "No! Wait!" he cried desperately as Judas started pushing him forward again, "His name's Doug!"

"Who's name's Doug?" Judas brought them all to a stop again.

"The ram I stole them Night Howler bulbs for! I don't know his last name, I swear!"

"What else can you tell us then? Because, 'Doug' is not enough to keep us from taking you to Mr Big."

"There's more!" Duke insisted. "I would take them to him in one of them ol' abandoned subway stations in Savanna Central! He would come from down the tracks. It's probably where he has his stash."

"Where?" Nicky demanded, sinking her claws ever so slightly into the weasel's shoulders. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to hurt. He quickly blurted directions to the old station.

"Anything else you'd like to add?" Judas prompted. "Because, if we find you've lied to us, or left out something important, Mr Big will be the least of your problems." Duke's eyes met Judas', and saw the sincerity in the statement. He swallowed hard, finally understanding that this rabbit was one he did not want to cross ever again.

"I don't know much about who he is, or what he does, but Doug's not a mammal you want to mess with," he said slowly. "He's a killer. I saw it in his eyes."

"Sounds friendly," Nicky said dryly, releasing Duke at Judas' nod.

"Pah!" Duke scoffed, stepping quickly out of Nicky's reach. "Just the opposite! Don't say I didn't warn ya!" and with that, he darted back to his table, the small sign beneath now clearly visible to the rabbit; _"Duke's Premium Defences. Safety in Strength"_. Judas rolled his eyes at the blatant lies, and turned back to Nicky.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" Nicky smiled brightly. Judas raised an eyebrow at the vixen's exuberant mood. "What?" she asked, starting back towards the truck.

"You seem overly happy to be going after a 'killer ram'. What's got you so chipper?"

"Oh, I just always enjoy getting one up on old _Weselton_ there," she grinned, opening the passenger door of the truck as they arrived. Judas got back into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"That's another thing I don't get. What's with calling him Weselton?"

"He hates it," Nicky explained gleefully.

"Aha," Judas accepted her simple explanation, and pulled out from the curb and performed a U-turn to head back towards Savannah Central.

They drove in silence for a moment before Nicky spoke up again, this time her voice sounded a little less confident, almost nervous, something Judas had trouble associating with the vixen.

"So, um, the taser? How long did you know it was a fake?"

"As soon as I picked it up, I knew for sure," Judas answered, glancing over at Nicky in concern. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! She replied quickly, but sagged her shoulders after a moment. "It's just, that was really convincing, you know? I thought you were really going to shoot him. It was a little scary."

Judas sighed gently, understanding what must have been going through her mind. "I'm sorry, Nicky. I didn't mean to scare you. I've been shot with a taser before, and believe me, they _hurt_. I've got no wish to shoot anyone else with one if I don't absolutely have to. Especially after I've seen firstpaw what a class four can do."

"You've been tasered? When?" Nicky asked.

"At the academy," Judas answered, cringing slightly at the memory. "We were all required to see what it felt like to both shoot, and be shot by, a taser. I might have only been shot with a class two, but let me tell you, that was not a fun day for _anyone_."

"I believe you, Fluff," Nicky leaned back into the seat seemingly lost in thought. Judas shrugged and drove on towards their new destination, leaving his passenger to her own thoughts.

* * *

After a short, quiet trip across town, Nicky and Judas arrived at the intersection Duke had described. There were a few mammals cautiously going about their business, but otherwise the street was mostly empty, allowing Judas to easily locate a legal parking space. Even after having only spent a few days as a parking inspector, some habits die hard.

"Nicky, you can't take those with you!" Judas snorted, eyeing the half-empty basket of blueberries in the vixen's paws as she made to exit the truck.

"And why not?" she shot back, clutching the tub closer, as if daring Judas to try and take them from her.

"Because," Judas sighed, "we're about to go underground, into a potentially _dangerous_ situation! You can't afford to be trying to carry around a basket of berries in your paws!"

"But, I'm hungry," Nicky stated simply, as if that gave her every right to carry them with her. Judas rolled his eyes and sighed again with exasperation, but began rummaging behind the bench seat. Nicky's ears flicked up as she heard the rabbit muttering. She couldn't make out all the words, but she was pretty certain it was something about 'dumb, stubborn foxes,' however, the smile she could see tugging at the corners of his mouth was enough to convince her that Judas wasn't really as upset as he was acting.

"Here you are," Judas tossed a small, plastic punnet into Nicky's lap. "Put a few in there, close it and put it in your handbag. Then, let's get moving." Grinning victoriously, Nicky did as she was told, snapping her small bag closed with the berries safely tucked away, and crossed the strap over her body so the bag would remain securely under her arm.

"Ready yet?" Judas asked, drumming his finger on the steering wheel impatiently.

"Just about," Nicky smiled sweetly, before pulling down the visor to check her fur in the mirror. Noticing a few strands out of place, she unhurriedly smoothed them down.

"Really?" Judas asked incredulously.

"Absolutely, Fluff!" she replied merrily, enjoying the chance to tease the rabbit again. _'That's something else I've missed,'_ she realised suddenly. "A vixen always needs to look her best whenever she's about to risk her life!"

"You looked fine to me," Judas muttered again, stepping out of the truck.

"My! Officer Hopps!" Nicky exclaimed in a falsely high, girly voice, a thick smirk fixed on her muzzle. Judas groaned, too late realising his mistake and the ammunition he'd just given the smarmy fox. "I'm _flattered_! I didn't know you felt that way about me!"

"C'mon," Judas urged, trying to ignore both the rising blush in his ears, and Nicky's antics "Let's keep moving." He was wise enough to not try and retract his statement, realising that doing so would only dig him a deeper hole. _'Besides,'_ a small voice commented in the back of his mind, _'it's true. She does look_ fine _!'_ Judas groaned inwardly and felt his blush deepen slightly.

"As you wish, _charming_ bunny!" Nicky teased again, trotting up beside Judas as he quickly walked in the direction of the station entrance. She flicked her tail up to tickle the back of Judas' head, startling him so much that he lept straight up into the air.

"Nicky!" he scolded the sniggering fox once he'd caught his breath. "Don't _do_ that! This is serious!"

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, stifling her giggles behind her paw, "But that was too funny! Oh, my!" she gasped again for breath, "You get so cute when you're flustered, you know? Hmmph! Okay," she took a deep breath to steady herself, seeing the annoyance in Judas' eyes, "it's all out of my system now." She took another deep breath, "Let's go get this killer ram then, shall we?"

Judas was surprised at the sudden change of tone from Nicky, all traces of mirth suddenly gone from her voice. At first, he expected another joke to be forthcoming, but as Nicky set out again, leading the way towards the now visible subway entrance, he had to admit a newfound respect in her ability to rapidly control her mood. Smiling, he trotted after her, arriving at the top of the fenced off stairwell just seconds after she did.

"Be my guest, Officer Hopps," she smiled pleasantly, pulling the folding fence to one side, exposing a small gap that Judas could fit through. He nodded a quick thanks and slipped in, then held it open long enough for Nicky to join him. Although she was larger than Judas, the hole wasn't narrow enough that it caused her any trouble, and before long, the two of them were descending the stairs into the gloom of the abandoned station.

As the light from outside progressively diminished, Judas became increasingly blinded. So much so, in fact, that by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, he could barely see more than a meter in front of him, and even then, unclearly.

"Damn," he whispered, reluctant to break the oppressive silence that had settled about them, "I can't see a thing!" He reached for his pocket, intent on using it as a torch to see by, but he was stopped part-way by a rough, padded paw on his wrist.

"Just wait a second, Carrots," Nicky said softly. Judas could only just make her out standing beside him. "Give your eyes a moment to adjust, you'll see better then. Besides, if you use a torch, you'll warn anyone out there that we're coming. Judas nodded reluctantly, admitting to himself that Nicky was right on both counts. He went to pull his arm back from his pocket, but was mildly surprised when Nicky kept hold of it.

"I can see clearly enough," she supplied before Judas could ask, "I'll lead you until your eyes adjust more." Again, Judas nodded silently, satisfied with the plan. Nicky took a few deep breaths through her nose before turning right, pulling Judas along with her.

"You can smell him?" Judas asked with mild surprise.

"Just barely," Nicky replied in a muted whisper, "I don't think he's been along here for a few days, but I can smell several scent trails from more than one sheep. It has to be the right way." Judas nodded again silently, thinking again back to his discussion with Sarah. It would seem that fox noses were every bit as good as a wolf's after all.

All of a sudden Judas felt a sharp tug on his arm as Nicky brought him up short.

"Watch it, Carrots! You almost fell off the platform!"

"That's a bit hard to do, Nicky," Judas muttered, squinting at the ground beneath his feet. He could just barely make out where the dark grey of the concrete platform gave way to the jet black of empty space. "It's black as pitch in here!"

"Hmph!" Nicky snorted in amusement and let go of his arm, suddenly leaving the rabbit feeling alone. He felt his nose start to twitch in agitation, and hoped fervently that Nicky's eyesight wasn't quite good enough to notice. But fortune didn't seem to be operating on his side this time.

"Relax, Fluff," Nicky said, and Judas could practically hear the grin on her face. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Can we just get a move on?" he asked with a sigh, finally getting his nose under control too late.

"Sure thing, Twitchy!" Nicky smiled, and Judas heard the rustle of clothing and slight scraping of paws against concrete as she moved away. Judas strained his eyes, trying to make out any details of what was happening, but could see nothing, it had become darker as they'd moved away from the stairwell.

"Here," Nicky's whisper split the silence, coming from over the edge he'd almost stepped off a moment before. He felt a pair of paws on his calves, as Nicky spoke up again, "Sit down on the edge, and I'll help you down." Judas followed her direction to the edge and sat down, feet dangling into nothingness. Nicky's paws suddenly reappeared on his hips, and Judas felt himself pulled forward into emptiness.

Judas hung in empty space for a fraction of a second, a sense of weightlessness enveloping him while time seemed to freeze. Judas imagined that the silence and oppressive, yet somehow peaceful, isolation must be some indication of how astronauts must feel when on a spacewalk. The primary differences were the lack of bright stars, and the strong pair of paws firmly wrapped around his waist.

But even an astronaut's spacewalk must eventually come to an end, and Judas' trip through empty space ended abruptly with a sudden thud as he landed on the uneven ground and a muffled "Oomph" from Nicky.

"Gee, Carrots, you're heavier than you look!"

"Thanks," Judas replied dryly, earning a quiet snigger from the vixen hidden in the dark, somewhere to his right. He held out his arm again for the vixen to lead him by, but she surprised him again by taking his paw this time instead of his wrist.

"We'll go slowly, Fluff," she whispered, suddenly serious again, "the tracks are going to make this rather difficult for you, but we can't risk using a light."

Nicky slowly led the way forwards, trying to give Judas as much silent warning as she could every time they came across a sleeper, or loose piece of rubble, but unfortunately wasn't always in time. After the third stubbed toe and subsequent hiss of pain, Judas bit his lip and resigned himself to the fact that he would leave the tunnel with sore and bruised feet, and forced himself to endure the pain in silence.

Every soft thud as Judas ran afoul of some unseen obstacle also sent a small twinge of sympathetic pain through Nicky, and she redoubled her efforts to warn the rabbit in time. She wasn't entirely successful.

They travelled slowly through the darkness for close to fifteen minutes before Judas noticed that he could finally see the sleepers on the tracks before him. Curious, he glanced to his right and could actually see Nicky in the gloom. At first, he thought his eyes must be adjusting as Nicky had said they would, but after another minute, it became clear that the tunnel was slowly becoming brighter. Exercising extreme caution, both mammals crept forwards, sticking to the wall of the tunnel as it slowly curved to the left. Several more minutes of silent creeping finally revealed to the pair where the light was coming from.

The tunnel they had been following had reached a large underground junction of multiple rail lines partially separated by walls occasionally honeycombed by archways for maintenance access. Some of the further ones were still obviously in use, as evidenced by the sudden roar of a train as it rushed past, disappearing again into the underground labyrinth of tunnels before either mammal could blink. Yellow fluorescent tubes lined the walls at staggered intervals, bathing the space with a dim, but serviceable light, but to the rabbit and fox who had spent the past twenty minutes in utter darkness, the light was nearly blinding.

Nicky sniffed the air again, sorting through the new array of scents in the air to find the ones she was searching for. "That way," she mouthed to Judas, pointing off to their left where their track continued parallel to the ones in use for a short while before disappearing again into another dark tunnel on the far side of the junction.

Dreading being caught in the open with no cover to hide behind, they hugged the wall and moved quickly, Nicky taking point so she could follow the fresh scent trail she had discovered. They quickly came upon another side tunnel, and Nicky held up her arm to stop Judas. She leant over, and placed her muzzle right next to one of his ears, sending a shiver down Judas' spine.

"They're right in here," she paused as another train roared past, then continued, "The scent is fresh, and I can smell other things too. I'm not sure exactly, but some sort of harsh chemicals." Judas nodded his understanding, then motioned Nicky back behind him. Straining his ears, he thought he could hear the faintest sounds of at least one mammal talking, perhaps more, but the voices were distorted by something, as if behind a wall. Steeling himself, he slowly poked his head around the corner.

An old, rusted train car sat on the tracks in the dead-end tunnel. It was one of the earliest electric models, and was clearly not a passenger car, but more likely a control or engine car of some sort. However, the bright LED light emanating from the windows was clearly of a much newer origin. The thick power cables trailing from one of the windows and across the track to an open maintenance hatch in the tunnel wall also indicated that the car must have recently been repurposed. Judas' eyes darted around the otherwise empty space, confirming what he had hoped, that no other mammals were present in the open.

A quiet rustle behind him, followed closely by the warm weight of Nicky's head on top his own brought a fond smile to his muzzle as he was suddenly transported back to their foray into the Cliffside Asylum. _'Good times!'_ he thought brightly, glossing over their near capture in his mind.

"All clear," Nicky confirmed, in a hoarse whisper, causing Judas to stifle a snort of amusement. Shaking his head to dislodge Nicky's, he crept forward towards the railcar, the vixen following close behind.

They quickly reached the old car, and crouched below the open window with the cables hanging out. Both of them could now clearly hear a mammal inside holding a one-sided conversation, presumably over the phone. Judas listened as hard as he could, but couldn't quite make out the voice on the other end of the line. Instead, they had to settle for the low and steady male voice coming through the open window.

"— work through the night to have our next batch ready by dawn," the voice promised. Silence followed as he listened to the mammal on the phone.

"Lion at the ZPD. Got it boss." Judas' blood ran cold as he registered what the simple statement implied. "I'll call you when I'm done. Or," the voice continued in a sinister tone, "you'll see it on the news. Whichever happens first."

Judas turned to Nicky in astonishment as the conversation ended, fear and trepidation etched on both their faces. Whoever was in charge of this conspiracy was now about to go after the ZPD. Whatever that meant, Judas knew it wasn't good. If a police officer went savage, the ZPD might never recover from the backlash, and right now, the consequences could be devastating to the entire city. His mind made up, Judas stood and crept around towards the door at the rear of the car, ignoring the terrified look on Nicky's face.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **So, when I started this chapter I think I was being naive in thinking that I could write the entire action/train-car/Bellwether scene into one chapter... I don't know why I was surprised when I realised there was no way I could put that in one chapter, my fingers sometimes have a mind of their own and something that should only take a few lines suddenly becomes hundreds... Oh well, I hope you enjoyed this anyway and didn't feel like it was too much waffle. Keep your eyes out for the next chapter, hopefully it shouldn't be too long in arriving!**


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter 21: Conspiracy Unmasked_

"Hi, Doug here," the heavyset ram answered his phone in his typical clinical monotone. The greeting was unnecessary, he only ever got calls from one mammal on this phone, and she only ever called when she needed him. Still, he _was_ a professional, and he would act like it.

"Doug. It's me again," the sharp female voice came through the speaker. Again, unnecessary, Doug noted, but every mammal has habits when answering the phone, and it wasn't easy to change them, even when you were trying to be covert. _'Perhaps I need to try and change up a few of my own,'_ he thought to himself, _'It wouldn't do to be caught out by some stupid habit.'_ He returned his attention to the voice on the other end of the phone line.

"Status report," she demanded simply, but without hostility.

"I'm operating at maximum efficiency," Doug replied succinctly. His employer was not interested in idle chit-chat. She wanted the facts as quickly and accurately as possible. "The next crop will be ready for harvest in two days' time, and I still have enough material to process before then. I have a ready stockpile of two dozen pellets and will have a further dozen ready by tomorrow morning. Labs two and four are up and running with a dozen pellets ready between them, and potential to double that by tomorrow."

"What about lab three?"

"They ran into difficulty yesterday when a riot topside damaged the power grid in that sector. They saved the crop, but the backup generators aren't powerful enough to run the distillation equipment. They're in the process of moving to a new location, but that causes delays. They won't be able to begin to process the crop until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

"Unfortunate, but unavoidable," the voice on the phone sighed. "Inform labs two and four to work overtime until they've prepared all the pellets they can. Our schedule has moved up. It's time to move to phase three."

"Phase three?" Doug asked, professional concern leaking into his voice. "We're not ready for phase three yet! We don't have nearly enough pellets."

"We don't have a choice. The Federation troops will be here by midday tomorrow, and we need to be ready for them when they arrive. You'll have to make do."

Doug pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Understood. We'll work through the night to have our next batch ready by dawn."

"Good. But first, I have another target for you. I have a feeling that Bogo and the ZPD are not going to back down without a fight. I need to prevent that happening. You are to go into Precinct One HQ and dart Constable Delgato. He's a lion, so be careful. You shouldn't have any troubles getting in with all of my recent additions, so be quick about it."

"Lion at the ZPD. Got it boss," Doug answered. He knew exactly who his employer was, but she refused to let him speak her name over the phone in case someone was listening in. "I'll call you when I'm done. Or," he added with a menacing grin, "you'll see it on the news. Whichever happens first."

"I don't care," she replied shortly, "just get it done. I'll call you with the location for tomorrow's attack early." The line clicked dead, and Doug tossed the phone onto the bench, pleased that he would be back causing damage and chaos before long. He'd been looking forward to phase three for weeks, and now that it was upon him, he could barely contain his excitement. They would cause mass panic, the likes of which Zootopia had never seen before. And when the military arrived to find dozens of savage predators on the loose, his employer's plans would finally be close to fruition. _'Yes,'_ he smiled gleefully to himself, envisioning the bloodbath that would soon be upon them, _'tomorrow will be a grand day indeed!'_

* * *

"Carrots!" Nicky hissed urgently, keeping her voice as low as she could, "What are you doing?!" Judas had moved around to the back of the train car, and Nicky had scrambled to catch up to him, frantically trying to prevent him from doing anything rash. Instead of answering Nicole's question, Judas motioned her forward silently, and pressed his ear to the crack between the door and wall of the carriage. With a suppressed sigh, Nicky moved up to the rabbit and pressed her ear against the crack as well.

Within they could hear movement as the mammal walked about, shifting objects around, judging by the intermittent clunks and hollow thuds that occasionally punctuated the more organic sounds of motion. They both remained glued to the door, ready on a hair-trigger to dart for safety if the mammal might make to exit, but otherwise they were unable to learn much more from their silent eavesdropping.

Nicky leaned back from the door, about to motion to Judas that they should move away and discuss a plan of action when she saw him suddenly stiffen, his eyes lighting up in interest. Curious as to what he must have heard, Nicky held off. Judas quickly glanced up at the window set higher up in the door and motioned for Nicky to make a foot hold for him with her paws. Though still unsure, Nicky had come to learn that this cute little rabbit seemed to know what he was doing, so she followed his instructions, hoping that the darker tunnel would help to hide them from anyone inside the brightly lit car.

Judas let out a barely audible sigh of relief once he was hoisted high enough to see inside. Quickly bouncing down to land quietly beside her, he stretched up to whisper in Nicky's ears. "He's not in there." Nicky had to fight the urge to twist her ears away from the ticklish sensation of Judas' warm breath blowing straight into her ears. Despite the strange sensation being slightly annoying, Nicky was surprised to find that it also felt…comforting? Almost like she was safe and warm, which she was truly neither at the moment. She felt confused at the strange reaction until an old forgotten memory surged up into her mind. One she had not thought of for a very long time, buried deep under layers of pain and bitterness.

 _She was a young kit again, no more than four or five years old. A ferocious storm raged outside the window of her tiny bedroom, rain and wind lashing at the panes of glass. The inky blackness of the night occasionally rent by a brilliant flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by a deafening crash of thunder. The young vixen was wrapped tightly in the strong, but gentle, embrace of an older red fox. Her father. The pair sat entangled in one another atop the pink sheets of young Nicole's small bed. With every tremendous boom outside, the kit cried out in fear, trying to burrow deeper into her father's arms for protection. And with each boom, Mark Wilde would hold his daughter tighter. Safer. He whispered soft, gentle words of encouragement, and promises of safety into her ears, protecting her against not only the terrors of the night, but of the entire world. As the storm raged louder and more fiercely, he held her all the closer, until she eventually fell into fell into a calm sleep, safe in her father's arms. And Mark Wilde continued to hold her through the storm and the night, only releasing her as she woke up again, the sun breaking through the dark clouds to a brand-new day…_

"He must have moved further forward into the control room. Now's our chance!" Judas whispered excitedly, reaching for the door handle.

"Carrots! Wait!" she hissed, startled out of her trance by the sudden movement, but was too late to stop Judas as he quietly slipped inside. With a silent sigh of exasperation, she quickly followed her companion. What she saw when she stepped in caused her to freeze in shock, right behind Judas.

The compartment was brightly lit by modern LEDs that had been fixed to the ceiling, lending a sharp, sterile feel to the cramped space. And it was indeed cramped. From the door where the two had entered were three long troughs running lengthwise along the walls and down the centre of the space between. They were elevated on legs that also reached up to support overhead hoods that shone down with artificial UV light, bathing the purple flowers that occupied the troughs in an eerie light. Judging by the grim look on Judas' face, Nicky assumed these flowers were the Night Howlers that Duke had stolen. Each of the three garden troughs were filled to the brim with the toxic flowers, many of them only just beginning to open their petals.

Tracing her eyes along the edge of the troughs, Nicky looked up to the other end of the railcar. A closed door at the far end indicated where the ram they were tracking had disappeared to. Nicky just hoped it stayed closed.

That whole end of the compartment was crowded with drums, crates and propane gas tanks scattered haphazardly about a central bench that had been set up. The twisted mass of cables from the window snaked its way to a large vat behind the bench, a small number breaking away to connect to the various instruments arrayed on the bench itself. Nicky wasn't sure what to make of all the paraphernalia that ranged from tall, spiralling glass tubes to gas burners and blocky mechanical equipment, but she assumed that it all had to do with the production of whatever substance was being used to trigger savagery in other mammals.

Nervously, she glanced back to Judas who had silently moved further into the compartment, using his phone to film the space, just like he had back at the Asylum. The memory of that nearly disastrous experience quickly prompted her to reach into her bag and pull out her own phone. Silently attracting Judas' attention, she waved her phone, then placed a finger in front of her lips. Understanding suddenly lit his face, and he nodded sharply, switching the device to silent. Nicky did the same, noting as she slipped her own away again, that they had zero reception down in the rail tunnels.

They moved slowly further in and Judas panned his phone about, recording as much information as he could. Meanwhile, Nicky stepped up to a smaller desk along one of the walls. It was scattered with paperwork, photographs, newspapers and folders. Above the mess, and on the wall, was a transport map of the city. Or at least that's what Nicky assumed it was. It was a little hard to tell for certain with all the photographs and newspaper clippings pinned at various locations on the map. At first she only gave it a cursory glance, but then one particular picture caught her eye.

"Manchas!" she whispered out loud, comprehension dawning on her as she looked closer at the dozens of pictures and clippings. She recognised a few from the Asylum, and more from stories on the news, but the majority of the mammals displayed were foreign to her. She felt Judas creep up beside her, but couldn't tear her eyes away from the images.

"There must be close to a hundred," Judas breathed in awe. Nicky simply nodded, finally finding the determination to look away. A folder on the desk caught her eye instead.

The tan carboard cover was simply titled _Novicius_ , with series of tabs that ran down the side labelled "Phase 1" through to "Phase 5". Intrigued, she reached for it.

Before she could pick it up though, her arm was suddenly jerked roughly back. Stifling a cry of surprise, she glanced back to see Judas desperately tugging on her arm, a look of terror etched on his face. Then she heard the soft click of a door unlatching.

Both mammals practically flew back to the other end of the rail car and dove under one of the planter troughs, huddling together in the furthest corner, chests heaving as they both silently tried to calm their pounding hearts. They were barely in time.

A large ram entered the brightly lit compartment, back first, occupied with fixing a bulky gasmask to his face. He was wearing a bright yellow rubber suit, vividly reminding Nicky of movies about biowarfare and super viruses. She had to consciously check her panic at the thought, forcing herself to notice the areas where the suit was obviously not skin-tight on the ram and he had intentionally left open to the air. _"He's probably just taking precautions against skin-contact,"_ she told herself, although the fear didn't fully disperse.

The ram – Doug, Duke had called him – picked up a large drum from the end of the middle hydroponic trough and carried it back towards the large vat that Nicky had noticed earlier. He removed the lid, and Judas and Nicky watched in fascination as he dumped a load of flower heads into the vat and then sealed it with a pressurised lid. He tapped a few buttons on a control console mounted alongside the vat which soon filled the room with a low hum and sent vibrations thrumming through the floor.

It didn't take long for a pale bluish-purple fluid began to pump from the vat via a connected tube to the first of the glass instruments of the bench. Nicky noticed that Judas still had his phone out, filming the entire process as the suited ram slowly moved from device to device in the chain of instruments on the bench. At each stage, the liquid became darker in colour as the essence of the flowers was slowly concentrated into a far more potent chemical. Nicky looked on in horrified fascination as Doug slowly refined his product, finally moving to the last instrument which he carefully used to fill small, clear plastic membranes. She was shocked at the relative speed of the process. She was no chemist by any means, but she did know that refinements such as these would usually take far longer than they had. It frightened her because she knew that this meant the ram must have understood the process on an almost _industrial_ scale. Something that could easily be scaled up to a yield many hundreds of times greater. The very thought was appalling.

Finally, once Doug had filled four of the plastic pellets with the liquid, he carefully set them aside in an empty padded case, more spaces indicating room for further pellets to be added. And sure enough, Nicky could see another two drums, one at the end of both side hydroponic units. _"Another eight pellets,"_ she realised.

Doug heaved himself up from his stool and stretched with a load groan. Nicky rolled her eyes, scoffing internally at the tubby mammal. _'You'd think he'd been hunched over that bench for hours, not just fifteen minutes! Ha! I've been curled up on the floor with a rabbit all this time and you don't see me complaining!'_ She blinked in surprise as the last thought filtered through her mind and consciously noted the rabbit in her lap for the first time. _'Wait! That's not how I meant – ah, never mind!'_ she rolled her eyes again, this time at herself, thinking how dumb she would sound if anyone could listen in to her thoughts to hear her justifying them to herself. She did, however, carefully remove her tail from where it was curled around Judas' legs. Luckily for her, he didn't seem to notice the movement as he was instead focussed on what Doug was now doing.

The ram had removed his gas mask and moved over to the smaller desk covered with all the loose paperwork. But, instead of files or documents, his attention was focussed on the large black rifle laying before him. He seemed to be working to disassemble the weapon, and before long, Nicky watched in fascination as he held up a smaller, pistol-shaped gun. She caught a glimpse of the remainder of the rifle as he turned to lean it up against the wall. It had a strange cavity where the grip and chamber of a rifle would typically be. _'A modular gun!'_ she realised in surprise. This was clearly no run-of-the-mill rifle. Doug pulled a black briefcase out of a drawer under the desk and placed the pistol inside. Nicky could just make out several blue pellets resting in the foam padding of the case before the ram snapped it shut.

Nicky felt Judas suddenly twitch in her lap right before a loud rapping on the door cut through the relative silence in the railcar.

"About time," Doug muttered, making his way to the door. Judas and Nicky shrunk further back into the corner, hoping that they wouldn't be spotted.

"You better've gotten me an extra-large this time," Doug grumbled, opening the door. By the scents that wafted in, Nicky quickly identified the newcomers as the two other rams she'd scented while tracing the location of the hideout. She could also smell coffee. Lots of coffee. Despite the fact that she could smell that the despicable mammals had polluted the black elixir with copious amounts of sugar, cream and flavouring syrups, she couldn't help but salivate at the scent. It had been far too long since her last cup. Like, six hours or something insane like that.

Judas, it seemed, was the only mammal who had anything other than caffeine on his mind, and before Nicky realised it, he'd dashed out of their hiding spot. Startled out of her wistful daydream by the motion, she could only watch in horror as Judas stood exposed in the open for everyone to see. Time seemed to slow down for the fox as several things happened at once.

Eyes drawn to the grey blur inside the compartment, one of the rams outside peered around Doug to see a strange rabbit inside the secret lab. His eyes widened in surprise and with a cry of alarm, he jerked his right hoof forward to point him out to the others. Unfortunately for Doug, that hoof was holding a large mochaccino…

Meanwhile, Judas sprinted towards the doorway, quickly covering the short distance between him and the large ram standing there. Less than a meter from his target, Judas jumped, rotating his legs forward in mid-air…

Doug had already begun to twist away from the shower of hot, chocolaty coffee flying towards him when he felt a massive impact to his back. Already off balance from his attempted dodge, there was no chance for him to retain his footing. He suddenly found himself flying forwards through the air towards his companions, collecting the full brunt of the burning liquid with his face before crashing into them, spilling the other two coffees into the tangled mass of limbs and wool on the tunnel floor.

Judas slammed the door shut and threw the deadbolt across. "C'mon!" he yelled to Nicky, still huddling under the garden trough in shock.

"What're you doing?" Nicky demanded, scurrying out from the corner, but Judas wasn't really paying attention, instead, he was scanning about the carriage. "Hey!" Nicky demanded again.

"We need to get this evidence to the ZPD!" Judas replied, jogging forward to the lab section of the room, still glancing about as if looking for something.

"And how do you suppose we're going to do that?" Nicky snapped sarcastically. "This old rust-bucket isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Let's just take these and get out of here!" She picked up the case with the pistol and Night Howler pellets in one paw, and the _Novicius_ file in the other.

"No!" Judas exclaimed as a loud crash echoed through the compartment from the shut door. Obviously one or more of the rams was back on his feet and trying to get back into the carriage. "We need to get it _all_ back!" he insisted, darting through the door at the other end of the lab, the one Doug had disappeared through earlier. Nicky followed him, finding herself in a small control room, a pile of clothes in one corner indicating where Doug had changed into his protective suit.

One of the rams was now hammering repeatedly on the external door, furiously trying to break in. Another, one Nicky didn't recognise, had reached the open window with all the cables hanging out and was attempting to crawl in that way. He was obviously too surprised by the unexpected confrontation to think straight because the narrow window was too small for him to climb through, especially with all the cables in the way. _'Either that,'_ thought Nicky smugly, _'or he's really just that stupid.'_ She glanced back to Judas who was rapidly flipping switches and turning dials on the control panel.

"C'mon, Carrots!" She pleaded, "This train's not going…."

The panel suddenly lit up and a steady rumble sputtered into life in the floor. Judas quickly grabbed the central lever and turned it in its arc. The train shuddered into motion and began crawling along the track.

"…anywhere…" Nicky belatedly finished her sentence in surprise as the train continued to pick up speed. "Well, I'll be," she smiled, "miracles do happen!" Judas smiled smugly back at her and opened his mouth to speak when the railcar suddenly jerked throwing both mammals off balance. A loud snap reverberated through the air, accompanied by an agonised cry of pain and the sound of shattering glass. Alarmed, they both spun about to look back into the main lab room where the sound had come from.

Much of the refinement glassware and equipment lay in shattered ruins on the floor, and the work desk was a mess of shredded paper, much of it still floating in a chaotic storm through the air. The culprit of the damage was obvious to them both. In the centre of the floorspace, the large bundle of power cables lay in amongst the carnage they had caused after snapping under high tension. Nicky felt a momentary shiver at the thought of what the other end must have done to the ram trying to climb through the window. She shoved the thought away, knowing that if these mammals caught them, they'd both probably end up far worse than he had.

Clearly, the other rams had seen the damage to their friend, because the useless hammering on the outer door halted with a roar of anger and the terrifying sound of hoofbeats on the roof. Nicky gulped and glanced back at Judas. He nodded and cranked up the speed of the train with the lever. Outside, the open space of the junction cavern was abruptly left behind as they plunged into another tunnel on the other side, one with regular lights on the walls, showing that it was regularly used. Nicky hoped fervently that there wasn't a train coming the other way.

She didn't have time to reflect on that fear, however, as another crash sounded from the main compartment. With Judas occupied controlling the now speeding train car, Nicky looked back in time to see the other unknown ram dropping through the roof hatch he had just smashed in. He charged.

With lightning reflexes, Nicky slammed shut the door to the conductor's room and bolted it just in time for the ram to smash head-first into the steel door, leaving a considerable dent in the metal. Nicky frowned in worry. The door likely wouldn't hold up to too much more of that sort of punishment. She peered through the glass window to see the ram stagger back to his feet half-way down the carriage, a look of pure rage and hatred in his beady eyes. She stepped back and prayed desperately that the door would hold long enough.

Another loud smash filled the air of the control room as glass from one of the front window panes shattered inward, showering both Judas and Nicky with sharp fragments. Nicky yelped out in pain and surprise as she felt the glass scratch across her back and head. She spun about to see Doug's scowling face hanging upside down from the roof, one arm thrust through the broken window and his hoof on the acceleration lever. He'd managed to force it back, slowing the train down, but Judas fought against him with his entire body, preventing Doug from slowing the train down further. Blood trickled from numerous shallow cuts on both Judas' arms and face, the sharp, metallic scent filling the air and turning Nicky's stomach.

The closed door behind her shuddered again under another tremendous impact as the trapped ram intentionally ploughed into it with a dull thud. A large crack shot through the glass pane set in the door. Her gaze shifting rapidly between both furious mammals she and Judas were trapped between, an idea suddenly presented itself to her. She grabbed the bolt to the door.

"Watch out, Fluff!" she shouted, eyes fixed on the ram behind the fractured glass, "I've got this!" This time, when the ram charged the door again, she ripped it open at the last second, not giving him any time to slow down when the expected obstacle suddenly disappeared. Instead, he flew through past Nicky, halfway through the glass window in the front, and into Doug, knocking him off the roof of the train towards the track. The plan would have worked brilliantly too, if Doug hadn't chosen the last possible second to grab hold of Judas instead of the accelerator.

* * *

Judas blinked away the blood trickling into his right eye and tried his best to ignore the stinging from the multiple cuts on his arms and face. The cuts weren't serious, but they were certainly distracting, and right now, as he strained with his entire body against the acceleration lever, he couldn't risk any distraction. If Doug managed to bring the train to a stop, Judas knew that he and Nicky would be sitting ducks, and would likely disappear without a trace. So, reverting to one of the lessons he learnt at the academy, Judas narrowed his focus to the task at paw. Get the train to the ZPD. He blocked out the pain, and his hammering pulse. He tuned out the thudding of the other ram smashing into the door. He barely even noted Nicky's frantic warning. His entire world narrowed to the control board in front of him, and the scowling ram hanging in front of the window.

Their struggle for supremacy was all that mattered to either mammal. First Doug would manage to force the lever back a fraction, just a few millimetres, a gleam of triumph in his beady eyes. Then, straining every muscle in his arms, Judas would push it back, sometimes to where it had been, other times a touch further, wiping the satisfaction from Doug's face. But Judas knew he couldn't keep this struggle up for long. Not in a direct confrontation of strength against a mammal so much larger and stronger than himself. At the academy, he'd learnt how to use his own strengths to his advantage, and to think his way around obstacles, but he just didn't have those options here. There was nothing for him to brace his powerful legs against to give him the advantage, and there was precious little else about for him to use. All he could do was hope that he could hold out long enough for Nicky to help, or Doug to give up. So, he ignored the building tremors in his arms, and kept holding out.

It seemed, however, that Doug wasn't happy to just hang about and fight over the lever all day, and he suddenly let go, causing Judas to stagger forward, slamming the lever into the maximum position. Instead, Doug grabbed Judas by the wrist, and began to pull him towards himself.

Normally, Judas would've been able to use that to his advantage, but as he watched Nicky open the door to the charging ram through the corner of his eye, Judas realised that this would not be one of those times.

The ram struck the door.

Judas' arm felt like it was about to be pulled out of its socket under the huge acceleration he felt as Doug went flying through the air from the sudden impact. Judas wasn't far behind, dragged through the narrow window, clipping the rim heavily on the way out before Doug loosened his grip. _'That'll leave a bruise,'_ he thought absently while his paws flailed about for any kind of hold to halt his mad flight through the air.

His left paw caught something smooth and curved, and clutched reflexively about it, barely hanging on as his forwards momentum swung him around in an arc. His body slammed back into the front of the train, now facing inwards to where Nicky stared out at him in abject terror. She pointed up, just above his head. He looked up and realised in surprise that he was hanging from one of the horns of the ram that had charged the window. He was just regaining consciousness.

"Carrot sticks!" he muttered, just as the trapped ram noticed him. With a murderous gleam in his eyes and a snort of rage, the ram flicked his head, sending Judas flying up towards the rapidly passing roof. Again, finding himself flying through the air, Judas shot out a paw, catching the lip of the train roof and spun his body around, narrowly avoiding being wiped out by a passing warning light. He noticed worriedly that the light was flashing an ominous red.

"Stop! Stop the train!" came a desperate shout from the tracks below. Judas peered over the edge to see Doug sprinting for all he was worth. Evidently, during their struggle, the train had slowed enough to allow him enough time to regain his footing after being catapulted out the window, but now the train was rapidly picking up speed again. There was no way the train could slow down soon enough, and the distance was rapidly closing.

Doug must've came to the same conclusion, because he suddenly dove to the side of the tunnel, hoping to escape that way. He hit the corner of the train.

His scream of pain was abruptly cut off by a sickening crunch followed by a rolling "Thud-ud-ud-ud," as the ram's body tumbled and rolled along the wall, sandwiched by the side of the train. Judas cringed at the sound and hoped the mammal survived. He may have been a criminal, but Judas still didn't want anyone dead. Besides, his testimony could prove invaluable in court.

Judas was flash blinded as the train shot out of the end of the tunnel back into the bright sunlight of the Downtown rail nexus. A strangled yell of alarm from the remaining ram forced his attention back to the track in front of them. Frantically blinking away the bleariness from the rapid adjustment, he soon made out the train rapidly approaching them on the same track.

"Nicky!" he yelled down through the smashed windshield, "There's a train coming!" As if to punctuate his statement, the approaching train blasted its horn, nearly deafening Judas in the process. Sparks flew from their wheels as the other train slammed on their emergency brakes. Quickly judging both their speed, and the speed of the newer, rhinoceros shaped, train, Judas quickly concluded that neither would be able to slow down fast enough to avoid a collision.

"We need to turn right!" Nicky shouted back at Judas through the window, both of them ignoring the hysteric screams from the pinned ram as he struggled to free himself. Judas looked to where Nicky was pointing out the window and saw their only possible chance of salvation. Just ahead, the track branched away to the right towards a disused building, yellow and black signs indicating a closed track. Still, it was their only option, and Judas rapidly flicked his eyes along the path before them. A track lever was rapidly approaching.

Without a second thought, Judas lept into action, swinging down the rusted side rail of a ladder set into the front of the train, ignoring the searing pain as shards of rust tore into his paw.

"This train is not taking passengers!" he shouted gleefully as he swung his legs forward, kicking the ram free from the window frame and shooting him right into the track lever. A section of track shifted direction just in time for their train car to barrel down the new path allowing the approaching train to miss them by less than a meter. Judas briefly met eyes with the stunned looking beaver driving the other train before his own speeding train took them out of sight. Judas turned his head towards Nicky again, a victorious smile breaking over his muzzle. Then he felt the train start to tilt as they hit the corner.

"Too fast! Toofasttoofast!" Nicky started screaming as the tilt increased, passing the point of no-return.

"Oh, shit," Judas whispered to himself, climbing onto the frame of the broken window as the train derailed, slamming onto its side at the end of the corner. Now that they were travelling straight, the train's inertia carried the train along the tracks into the cavernous opening of a building straddling the rails. Judas could see a platform ahead and to the right, but only a solid concrete wall directly ahead.

"Quick, Nicky!" he stuck his head into the cabin of the train where the fox had been thrown to the wall when the train had tipped over. "We need to jump!" He held out a paw to help the vixen up to the window ledge, glancing nervously back into the wrecked interior of the carriage. Sparks were flying from the rapidly heating wall and broken equipment. Several propane tanks rolled about dangerously, and he swore he could hear the hiss of one of them leaking.

Nicky grabbed his paw and heaved herself up next to the rabbit. Judas looked forwards to the rapidly approaching platform and dead end.

"One," he counted out loud.

"Two," Nicky counted with him this time.

"Three!" they shouted simultaneously, and both lept from the crashed train, tumbling onto the rough concrete of the platform with enough force to send them sprawling.

The train slammed into the concrete wall with a tremendous screeching thud, entirely crumpling the front portion where Nicky and Judas had been only seconds before. Shattered glass and twisted metal splayed outwards like the skin of an overripe tomato dropped on the ground. The rear end lifted into the air with the impact before settling back to the ground with a secondary crash.

"That was too close!" Nicky panted, staring at the wreck.

The train erupted into an enormous fireball as the ruptured gas tanks ignited. The explosive sound of the shockwave set Judas' ears ringing right before a ferocious wave of heat blasted the pair, scorching their lungs and noses. Burning shrapnel flew through the air leaving twisted trails of smoke behind them as the small mammals cowered in fear and shock.

Both Judas and Nicole kept themselves covered until the mayhem finally died down. Judas stared in shocked silence at the burning carnage before him. "Gone," he whispered, regaining his voice. "All of it. All the evidence," his ears hung back in defeat. "It's all _gone_!"

"Yeah," Nicky replied, crawling next to where Judas had landed. "Oh, except for these of course," she smiled, holding up the briefcase containing Doug's gun and pellets, and the tan folder she had picked up. Judas looked between the vixen and the items in her paws in astonishment. In their escape from the train, he'd completely forgotten about both and hadn't seen Nicky carrying them either.

"Oh, Nicky!" he yelled in delight, wrapping his arms about her in a bearhug, "Thank you!"

"Ouch!" Nicky exclaimed, Judas' enthusiasm highlighting several new bruises that she'd picked up somewhere in their mad chase. Judas let go sheepishly and jumped to his feet.

"Come on, Nicky," he smiled, offering her a paw, "we need to get these to the ZPD!" The moment she took his paw, however, he hissed in pain, and snatched it away again, realising too late that it was the same one he'd used to slide down the ladder with and it was covered in cuts and scrapes.

"I think we'll need to both get to the hospital after that," Nicky stated, gingerly pulling herself to her feet, cringing at the multiple spikes of pain lancing through her body.

"Agreed," Judas grimaced, shaking his paw out. They both glanced back to the burning wreck in dismay. Shrugging her shoulders in acceptance, Nicky nodded to the staircase leading away from the platform and into the gloomy building, strange shapes barely visible in the murky opening. Judas took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, turning from the inferno and led the way forwards, determination written on his face.

* * *

Jesse Flocker groaned as he sat up next to the train tracks. His stomach felt badly bruised, and he was sure he'd probably broken several ribs when he'd slammed into the track lever. He watched as the lab car shot down the side branch of track and began to tip over. At the moment, all he wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep, but he still had a job to do. He fished his phone out of his pocket, and was glad that, although the screen was cracked, it still turned on. He dialled a number and listened to the dial tone, meanwhile watching in increasing horror as a bright explosion lit up the dull interior of the building the train had disappeared into.

"Hello?" came a female voice from the phone's speaker.

"It's Jesse," he replied through gritted teeth. "You need to get to the Museum. Fast. And bring back up."

"What? Why?" she demanded angrily.

"You'll see when you get there," he groaned. A fresh wave of pain wracked his body as the shock began to wear off. Darkness began to crowd in around the edges of his vision. "Trouble," he mumbled, slumping back to the ground. He saw a beaver in a conductor's uniform running towards him from a nearby stopped train. He ended the call, and allowed the darkness to close in over him.

* * *

Nicky stumbled after Judas as he bounded up the stairs into the dilapidated Museum of Natural History. Nicky had pointed this branch of tracks out to Judas, not just as a way to evade the approaching train, but because the museum fronted onto the same open square as the ZPD headquarters did. She looked around at the old exhibits they passed, remembering a time, long ago, when she'd visited them all on a school excursion. They had all seemed so bright and exciting back then to the wide-eyed kit she had been, but now, shrouded under layers of dust and wreathed in shadows, they were dull, and held a nightmarish quality to them. She shuffled closer to Judas.

"I really wanted to visit here when I moved to Zootopia," Judas said in a hushed voice, staring about in awe. Many of the exhibits were far larger than either mammal, and they almost felt as if they were lost in a land of frozen giants.

"It's a lot nicer with the lights on," Nicky murmured, sidestepping around a cordoned off patch of ground where the tiles had all been pulled up. "And without all these renovations going on."

"Maybe we should come back when they're done then," Judas said, starting up the next flight of stairs to where they could see natural light filtering down. Nicky smiled at the suggestion, considering the idea of doing something _normal_ with the crazy rabbit beside her, and decided she really liked the thought.

They emerged from the gloom into a large hall at the top of the staircase where bright sunlight shone down through the glass dome in the ceiling. Across the hall, they could see more light through the murky glass doors. The street, and the ZPD, were almost within reach.

Basking in the warm glow, Nicky turned to Judas but her bright smile died on her lips as she saw the state he was in. His rustic farm-clothes (as she thought of them) were torn and blackened by a combination of grease, soot and dirt. His fur was similarly dirtied as well as ruffled and matted with streaks of dried blood on his face and arms. Blood was slowly dripping from his damaged right paw onto the floor, and several dark bruises were already becoming visible on his arms and legs. The look of surprise and worry on his face as he turned to her made her think that she probably didn't look much better herself.

"We both look like hell," she snorted grimly.

"Are you going to be alright?" Judas asked her concernedly, ears drooping down against the back of his head.

"Believe it or not," Nicky answered, moving forwards slowly again with a smile, "I've been in worse shape before." _'Although,'_ she added to herself, _'not by much.'_

They continued forwards in silence for a few minutes before Judas suddenly stopped, ears flicking up with interest. It wasn't long before Nicky heard what had caught his interest as hurried hoofsteps echoed down the hall. Before long, the source of the sound rounded a corner and out of a corridor stepped Mayor Bellwether flanked by a pair of rams in police uniform.

If she was surprised to see Judas and Nicky standing in the middle of the hall, both looking as if they'd just staggered out of a warzone, Bellwether didn't show it. Instead, she turned with a bright smile and trotted towards them, her bodyguards following close behind, faces bland with disinterest.

"Officer Hopps!" she called sweetly. Nicky felt the fur on the back of her neck begin to prickle.

"Mayor Bellwether?" Judas replied in confusion.

"Judas! I'm so proud of what you've done!" she gushed, ignoring the confused looks on both their faces as she reached them. "But look at you both! You look terrible! Here, let me take those from you and we'll get you looked after!" she reached out towards the case and folder in Nicky's paws. Nicky held onto them.

"We need to get these to the ZPD," Judas said cautiously. Both Nicky and Judas had caught the momentary twinge on the ewe's face when Nicky had refused to hand over the items.

"We'll make sure it gets there," Bellwether insisted, the smile on her face having lost some of its sparkle. Her guards loomed closer behind her.

"Thanks," Judas replied slowly, "but we'll be right to take it there." Nicky noticed him subtly shift his weight to his back foot. Evidently so did the mayor. Her smile shifted ever so slightly, and suddenly, she was no longer a sweet ewe, but a dangerous mammal. One with blood on her mind.

"Run," Judas and Nicky said simultaneously, and they bolted.

"Get 'em," Dawn instructed her guards, grinning hungrily. Both rams lumbered forwards, slowly gaining speed as they chased after their smaller prey.

Nicky directed Judas down the staircase they'd just climbed, back into the gloom below. She hoped that the shadows might just give them the chance for escape that they needed. Unfortunately, there was still enough light filtering in from the occasional window, or emitted by emergency exit signs that the pair of rams had no trouble following the pair. Even worse, Nicky realised, was the fact that she and Judas were both injured and exhausted, while the rams pursuing them were fresh and unhindered by injury.

"We need… to get… out… of here!" Judas panted to Nicky as they skittered around a corner, knocking over bollards and toolboxes when their hindpaws slipped on the smooth ground. Nicky nodded mutely, too busy trying to catch her breath to speak. She raised her paw, pointing to the next corner they should take, planning on bringing them back to the main entry hall they'd been in moments before. Hopefully they'd be able to get past Bellwether and onto the street before she could stop them. She quickened her pace, trying to catch Judas as she heard a crash close behind her.

They reached the next corner and she dug her hindclaws into the smooth tiles to generate more traction as she took the corner at speed.

A loud _"Crack!"_ rent the air, echoing down the hallways, followed immediately by a sharp cry of pain.

Nicky slammed into the wall on the other side of the corridor as she looked back in horror to see Judas crumpled on the floor, a smear of bright red blood streaking the floor where he'd skidded after falling.

"FOOLS!" Bellwether screamed, momentarily bringing the rams to a halt. Nicky took the opportunity to grab Judas, and carried him as she dashed behind an exhibit surrounded by wooden crates.

"NO GUNS!" the mayor berated her guards. "Do you _want_ the rest of the ZPD to turn up here? Now _find_ those two and bring them to me!"

Nicky sat the unconscious Judas down against a large statue that was part of the exhibit they were hiding in. There was blood everywhere. She frantically checked everywhere for the bullet wound, relieved when she didn't find it in his head or chest. But when she touched his left leg, he let out a low moan and began to wake up.

Quickly, Nicky placed her paw over Judas' mouth to stifle the inevitable cries as pain shot through his leg. She bent to his ear and whispered urgently, "You need to stay quiet, okay, Carrots? Otherwise they'll find us." She used her free paw to gently stroke his ears, trying to calm him down. It seemed to work, because Judas nodded his head in understanding, his eyes screwed shut against the pain.

Reluctantly, Nicky took her bloodied paws away from Judas' head and bent to inspect his leg. The blood was flowing cleanly from a small circular hole in the back of his calf. A quick glance told the vixen that the bullet had gone clean through, and luckily for the rabbit hadn't impacted any bones. But he was still bleeding, and if she didn't at least slow the flow down soon, Judas would be in a very bad condition.

She ripped her pawbag off her shoulder and emptied the contents on the floor as quietly as she could. Her phone, sunglasses, lipstick, blueberries, scarf and much more tumbled out to form a varied mess of female belongings on the ground. But, it wasn't until she started trying to search through it all that she noticed how blurry her vision had become. She swiped away the tears streaming down her face with the back of her paw and found what she was looking for.

Working carefully but quickly, she wrapped her silk scarf tightly around the wound several times before tying it off, cringing alongside Judas every time he let out a small moan. Looking back to her pile of belongings she considered giving the rabbit some aspirin to deaden the pain, but decided against it. It would take too long to come in to effect, and hopefully by that time the ambulance would be able to treat him. Instead, she gently placed her paws on either side of his face and placed her forehead against his.

"It'll be alright, Fluff," she crooned gently staring into his blue eyes. "We'll get out of here soon, and then everything will be good again." She wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure more, Judas, or herself.

Judas mumbled something past his gritted teeth, but Nicole couldn't make out the words.

"What was that, Carrots?" she whispered gently.

"Get those… to the ZPD!" he forced out between gasps for breath. Nicky pulled back from Judas' face with a look of fear and anger on her face.

"I'm not about to leave you, Judas!" she shot back, barely restraining herself to a hushed voice.

"I can't walk!" Judas glared at her. "I'll only slow you down!"

"Too bad," Nicky replied stonily. "Either we wait here for them to find us, or we go together." Judas fixed her with a fierce stare, but she met it with her own unwavering gaze. Finally, he gave in with a sharp nod. "Good," Nicky smiled, eying her mess spread over the floor. "Now that that's settled, I have an idea."

* * *

"You ready?" Nicky whispered to Judas, Doug's briefcase clutched tightly in her left paw. The rabbit had his left arm wrapped around the vixen's neck and the file in his right paw. Standing on his right leg only, he turned to her with gritted teeth.

"As ready as I'll ever be." They both took a deep breath, and broke cover in a mad, three-legged dash for the front doors.

"There they are!" Nicky heard Bellwether scream shrilly. "Get them!" Nicky ignored the nearing thunder of hoofbeats, and Judas' yelps of pain with each step and strained to push them both as fast as they could move. But she knew it wouldn't be fast enough.

Halfway across the hall, they were caught by one of the mayor's uniformed guards as they passed a central display pit. Usually, this exhibit, displaying a spotted deer doe drinking peacefully at a stream, would be topped with glass, but that had obviously been removed during the renovations. Now, only a series of plastic bollards joined by caution tape ringed the cavity to prevent mammals falling in.

Anticipating the coming collision as she watched the ram rapidly approach from the corner of her eye, Nicky braced herself before the ram slammed side-on into her, sending the pair flying. Having lost hold of the briefcase in the impact, Nicky wrapped both arms about the injured rabbit and curled about him as they landed heavily, protecting his damaged leg from further injury.

The pair rolled to a stop in the middle of the enclosure, and Nicky staggered to her feet. Judas lay whimpering on the ground, too sore to move.

"Oh, how adorable," came a falsely cheery voice from the edge of the circular pit. Nicky looked up to see the Mayor holding the briefcase she had let go of during their fall into the pit. "Too bad this fairy-tale romance has to end so soon," Dawn Bellwether sneered down at the vixen. Four burly rams in ZPD blue ambled up to join her on the rim of the exhibit, and Nicky realised there must have been more in the museum than they had originally seen.

"Why're you doing this, you sick ewe!" Nicky spat back up at the spectators.

"Why!" exclaimed in false surprise. "I thought that would've been obvious, bitch," she grinned. "You found me out! I'm behind all the savage attacks! Oopsies!" The mayor giggled happily.

"No!" Nicky growled, "I mean, why are you doing any of this! Why do you hate predators so much?"

"Oh, I don't hate predators, bitch. Not at all!" She giggled again at the look of confusion on the vixen's face. "I just love power," a mad glint entered her eyes, sending a chill down Nicole's spine.

"And what better way to gain power," she stared off into space and continued condescendingly, as if explaining a simple concept to a child, "than to focus everybody else's fears on a common enemy! Think about it, ninety percent of the population united by fear against a dangerous minority. And only I can provide safety! Before long, the entire Federation will be under my rule!" She laughed again and returned her murderous eyes to Nicky. "I'll be _unstoppable_!" she crowed.

"You filthy _Butcher_!" Nicky screamed in rage, startling all the sheep above with the vehemence of her curse. "You'd kill and dart all those innocent mammals just so you can hold power?"

"Pretty much," she smiled, all mirth gone from her face as she opened the case to pull out the dart gun. "And once you've made a meal of your cute little boyfriend there, you'll be put down like the rest of all those 'dangerous savages'. Oh, don't worry," she reassured Nicky as the fox began fearfully looking about for somewhere to hide, "I've been told that you'll remember every _juicy_ little detail!" She raised the dart gun and fired.

* * *

Unnoticed by both women, Judas had slowly uncurled himself during their heated exchange, waiting for an opportunity to spring into action. Despite having a bullet wound to his leg, the rabbit refused to quit, and the moment Bellwether raised the gun, he knew it was his time to act. With a strangled shout of defiance, the former cop lept from his crouched position on the ground into the path of the dart, shielding Nicky from the toxin. He felt the hard, solid impact of the capsule as it exploded on his cheek, splattering his face with sticky, blue liquid. He hit the ground again, crying out in agony as his leg was jolted by the landing. Already, he could feel the serum entering his bloodstream and affecting his body. The pain from his leg, injured paw and other minor cuts and scrapes were already becoming little more than dull throbs. Sounds blurred and became indistinct and without meaning. His heart began to pound faster against his chest.

He felt himself raise up onto four paws without realising what he was doing. A low growl emanated from his throat.

' _Um, okay. That's not quite what I expected,'_ he thought, trying to calm himself down. Instead, his head flicked to the side, attracted by a sudden motion. A vixen stood staring at him in shock. He took a step forward and bared his teeth. The growl deepened.

' _Ah, that's Nicky,'_ he nervously told himself, straining against the muscles in his arms and legs that kept moving him forward pace by pace. _'She's a friend!'_ he yelled at himself in fear as he felt what little control he still held slipping further away with each step he took. He was forced to watch from a distant corner of his mind in horror as Nicky backed away from the rabbit, fear growing on her face. He could vaguely hear laughter from above and behind him, but took little notice of it.

' _Enemy. Attack.'_

' _No! Friend!'_ Judas shouted back mentally at the new voice that sprang up in his mind.

' _Attack. Kill!'_ Judas stalked closer towards Nicky.

' _NOOOOOOO!'_ he screamed as Nicky tripped over and landed on her back, her face a mask of terror.

Judas pounced.

* * *

"Judas?" Nicky stepped forwards nervously towards the rabbit who was just clambering to his feet. _'All four of them,'_ she noted in concern. "Are you alright?" The rabbit's head swung sharply towards the approaching vixen, his pupils contracted to unnatural vertical slits and his ears were flattened back against his scalp. He started growling.

"Oh, my!" Bellwether exclaimed in interest. "What have we here? A savage prey? Oh, I want to see what happens next!" she clapped her hooves together excitedly. Nicky ignored the ewe, focussing her attention solely on the mammal before her. She'd seen Judas do some rather impressive feats before, but right now, she felt downright intimidated by the display he was giving. Her ears flicked back against her skull and she took a careful pace back as Judas began to slowly move forwards, his prowling not dissimilar to that of an ancient cat's.

The rabbit continued to advance on Nicky, and she began to scramble backwards with increasing desperation, all the time chased by the mocking laughter from the hall above the pit.

"And the predator becomes the prey!" Bellwether laughed as Nicky retreated, now freely panicking.

"Run, foxy. Run!" sneered one of her guards, eliciting more laughs from the other three.

"Judas!" Nicky pleaded, both paws open and extended towards the rabbit in surrender. "Please stop! It's me! Nicky!" Judas broke into a slow trot, buckteeth bared in a frightening snarl. Nicky quickened her own pace, but tripped on a polystyrene rock and landed heavily on her back. "Judas! NO!" she screamed as the rabbit lept forwards, covering the remaining separation in an instant.

Nicky threw up her arms to protect her face as the crazed rabbit landed on her, narrowly avoiding having her eyes clawed out as he raked her at her with his stubby nails. He snapped his jaws shut less than an inch from her snout, spraying her with saliva, as she tried to dislodge him, but only managed to shift him upwards.

Changing targets, the savage rabbit latched on to the next thing he saw, biting down hard on Nicky's left ear.

"Arrrgghh!" Nicky screamed in agony as Judas swung his head back and forth with his jaws still clamped down. His front teeth designed for biting through vegetables and not for cutting flesh were having a hard time with tearing Nicky's ear off, but he was still causing the sensitive tissue enormous amounts of pain.

Blood splattered all over Nicky's face and arms again, this time a mix of her own from fresh injuries, and Judas' from his wounded leg and paw. _'That's it!'_ Nicky realised in a moment of clarity amidst the pain.

"Sorry, Carrots," she muttered through clenched teeth, and swung her knee up into Judas' leg. The rabbit instantly let go of her ear with a yelp of pain. Nicky grasped the moment of distraction, simultaneously twisting away, and pushing against Judas with all her might. This time it was enough, and she sent him tumbling into the stuffed display deer. He yelped with pain again as his injured leg was jolted in the collision. Nicky cringed in sympathy and staggered to her feet, holding one paw to her bleeding ear.

"Enough playing around," Dawn Bellwether called out again, her voice cold and dead. Judas had begun to attack the facsimile deer ferociously, its stuffing spilling from scratches and holes torn in his rage. "It's time to finish this." Dawn raised her dart gun again and aimed at Nicky's battered form. "Bye, bye, _bitch_ ," she tightened her hoof around the trigger.

"WHAT THE _HELL_ IS GOING ON HERE?!" a deep voice roared through the hall, startling every mammal within earshot, causing the mayor's shot to go wide and miss Nicky by a hair's breadth. The capsule splattered harmlessly on the floor behind her. Judas went on, madly disembowelling the display deer, completely unfazed by the explosion of sound.

"Chief Bogo?" Bellwether squeaked in astonishment. Nicky detected a trace of fear in her voice. "Come quick!" she called, recovering quickly. "There's a savage fox in that pit with Officer Hopps! You need to help him!"

"That's not what it looks like to me," growled a new voice that Nicky vaguely recognised. A wolf slowly approached the pit from behind Bellwether and her guards. He was wearing full tactical police uniform and a fierce snarl on his muzzle. "It looks more like a savage rabbit to me," Brian Wolford finished, fixing his stare on the ewe. A tigress stepped up beside him, carrying a scoped rifle. She raised the barrel quickly and shot off a round into the pit before any of the startled sheep could stop her. A feathered dart pierced Judas' hide just as he turned to face Nicky again, the deer no more than a pile of stuffing on the ground behind him. Before he could take so much as a step towards her, Judas stumbled, and then collapsed in an unconscious heap on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this, Bogo?" Bellwether demanded, shooting a dirty glare at the buffalo that just came into view of the fox. "All predator officers are on suspension! I demand you send them all away now!" More officers in full uniform came into Nicky's view around the rim of the pit, predators and prey alike, all with matching faces of disgust and hostility.

"I'll do no such thing," the towering buffalo glowered down at the ewe. Bellwether stood her ground before the police chief, and Nicky decided she must either be one of the bravest mammals she'd ever seen, or one of the dumbest.

"This is treason!" she yelled in defiance, not noticing how her own guards were slowly backing away from her, raising their arms in surrender. Bogo's brow somehow furrowed deeper, and Nicky was sure that if it continued much longer, the very ground the sheep were standing upon would melt away under the heat of his gaze.

"No," he ground out slowly, "It's justice. Mayor Bellwether, you are under arrest for conspiracy. Conspiracy to commit murder, treason, and terrorist acts against both the state _and_ the Federation. And," he lowered his voice to a dangerous growl, "you're under arrest for pissing me off."

"You have no proof!" she screeched, spittle flying from her mouth.

"Oh, I have all the proof I need," he smiled dangerously, the change in expression being the first thing to cause the ewe's countenance to falter. Bogo held up his personal smartphone, open to the ZNN live-stream app. The footage showed a simple washed out blue colour of the sky visible through the glass roof, but the audio was clearly playing a slightly delayed echo of everything said in the room.

"Thanks to those two," the chief pointed down into the pit. For the first time, Dawn Bellwether noticed the phone laying face-up in the centre of the enclosure. It was set to video call. Bogo continued as the ewe's shoulders finally sagged in defeat, "the entire city has all the proof it needs."

"No…" she whispered in defeat. "It can't… I was so close!" She buried her face in her hooves and began to sob. Bogo snorted and motioned a lion officer forwards to cuff her while other officers dealt with the rams.

"Lovely timing and all, Chief," Nicky called up from the exhibit, "but Judas was shot! He needs help immediately!" she stumbled over to where Judas lay in a crumpled mess on the floor. Blood was again pouring freely from his leg as the scarf had come undone during their fight. She felt his pulse, and found it far weaker than it should have been. "Hurry! Please!" she shouted in desperation.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well, I bet you all thought you knew where that was going! If so, I hope I gave you a nice little surprise there! :P**

 **Firstly, I know that this is the sort of chapter that would usually be one to sort the wheat from the chaff in terms of writing capabilities, so if you have any suggestions or pointers as to how I could improve the flow of my writing for this sort of chapter, I'd be glad to hear them! (Bland platitudes are rather pointless here as they don't give me much to go on!)**

 **Other than than, thanks for waiting for me to get this one together! It is easily my longest chapter to date (over 10 000 words and almost half of that in one day!), and I had a blast writing it. I will admit though, that I probably could have had it finished sooner if I hadn't fallen into the biggest trap for any writer - a good book (or three in my case)! If you are still enjoying my drivels, then never fear, because there is still quite a bit of story left to tell, but my pace may drop a little bit again with everything I've got going on. Sorry, but that's unavoidable.**

 **Lastly, I just want to mention the title of the file Nicky found in the train car, _Novicius_. It's a Latin word and is one of many possible Latin translations of the English word, 'new', more specifically the newness of something. My intention is that Bellwether was looking for a new social structure, and a new world order. Perhaps, though, it is also important to note that another possible rendering of _Novicius_ (at least according to the internet) is 'newly enslaved'...**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:**

 **Before you dive in, I just want to apologise to you all for the disgusting review that was posted after my last chapter by someone who read probably less than the first chapter before making some rather crude (and unfounded) assertions. If any of that person's post offended you, I am deeply sorry. I reported them to the site admins, but of course nothing has been done about it. If you do find those type of comments upsetting, then I'd advise dealing with them the way I do. Laugh at them. People like that do not deserve the time and energy it takes to get upset, and it can actually be a great deal more amusing to respond in a completely opposite manner, as I did, and got more laughs out of the brainless PM replies I received!**

 **Anywho, I'm sure you're a lot more interested in the chapter than ancient news, so...**

* * *

 _Chapter 22: Recovery_

" _Beep."_

" _Beep."_

" _Beep."_

The steady, computerised chime was all that existed for a time. How long of a time? He didn't know. It felt like both an eternity and an instant in the velvety blackness that was everything. There was no time, only the constant, repetitive, monotonous…

" _Beep."_

" _Beep."_

" _Beep."_

At least, it had been the only thing. He wasn't sure when it joined the beeping, but other sounds slowly began to invade the blackness. He didn't know what to make of the new sounds, he only knew that they were different. The new sounds came and went with an irregularity that was infuriating, and so unlike the rest of existence. They rose and fell in pitch and in volume. They were quick and then slow, then disappeared again for a time leaving only the…

" _Beep."_

" _Beep."_

" _Beep."_

But the new sounds would always return, and each time they did, they were louder, and more insistent in the blackness. Almost as if they had meaning. He started to wonder if he was indeed missing something. Maybe, if he strained harder, he'd be able to understand what the sounds meant, and then maybe they'd go away.

But as he listened, and strained to understand the sounds, he became aware of something else. He became aware that he was _aware_. That _he_ existed.

' _Judas. My name… I am… Judas!'_

Worry flooded Judas as he regarded the infinite blackness around him, confused as to where he was and why he couldn't understand what the voices around him were saying. Because they _were_ voices. People were speaking and he couldn't understand!

He shifted against the infinite darkness, sending a jolt of dull pain through his body. _'Yes!'_ he cheered into the void, _'I have a body! I feel pain! That means I'm probably still alive!'_ He shifted slightly again, savouring the flash of sensation through his limbs and torso, feeling the limits to his existence rather than the endless dark. The dark that seemed different now, the dark that had changed. Had _brightened_.

" _Beep. Beep. Beep."_

The voices stopped, but Judas didn't care anymore. He could feel something beneath him now. Something soft and flat that he had sunk ever so slightly into. _'A bed!'_ he thought excitedly, now feeling the covers over his body, keeping him warm. _'I'm in a bed!'_

A voice spoke again. This time just one short sound, soft but insistent. Judas still couldn't make it out though, muffled and indistinct as it was. He shifted his body again as much as he could manage, hoping that the pain coursing through his body would help to clarify his senses.

The sound came again, the same as before, but this time Judas could pick up a sense of urgency from the voice, and something warm and familiar about the tone. It also sounded like it was coming somewhere from the gloom to his left. Focussing all his strength, he forced his left arm to move, fraction by fraction, towards the sound.

He gasped at the sudden flood of new sensation as something rough and warm reached out of the darkness to clasp his arm. Although it was rough at the centre, it also yielded softly with the pressure it applied. It curled around a portion of his forearm and he could feel cold, hard protrusions digging into the fur on the underside of the grip. Fur tickled against his own. _'A paw! There's someone else here with me!'_

The voice came again.

"Carrots? Judas! Can you hear me?"

Light exploded into the darkness of his universe as Judas eye's shot open. Then he instantly squeezed them shut again against the blinding pain. But the pain didn't matter, he finally understood the voice! More importantly, he recognised it.

"N-Nicky?" he croaked. He was shocked at how difficult it was to speak. His throat felt raw and gravelly, almost like someone had taken a belt sander to the inside of it, and his tongue and lips felt swollen and sticky. He cracked his eyelids open a fraction, squinting through his eyelashes at the harsh white light above him, slowly forcing his sight to adjust.

"Shhh, don't try to speak too much there, Fluff," Nicky whispered, her paw tightening on his arm. Judas thought he could hear something wrong with her voice, but his ears were still learning to work again and he couldn't be sure. But, if he were to take a guess, he'd say she sounded tired, and sad, although he couldn't think of why that would be.

"War-ter," he managed to groan. A moment later, he felt a straw being pushed between his lips and he took an experimental sip. Cool, fresh, delicious water flowed into his mouth, washing away some of the stickiness and soothing the soreness of his throat. Greedily, he sucked for more and received a veritable flood all at once.

"Gack!" he choked as some of the water rushed down his windpipe, setting him coughing violently.

"Easy there, Carrots!" Nicky admonished him, pulling the cup away and helping Judas to sit upright as his coughing fit slowly subsided. "Now, _small_ sips only, okay?" Judas nodded in agreement. The straw reappeared between his lips and he slowly sipped at the cool liquid. He opened his eyes again slowly. Now that he was looking into his lap without the bright lights burning them directly he was able to adjust better and focus on the red paw in the middle of his vision holding the cup and straw he was drinking out of.

He nodded again when he was finished drinking, again surprised at how little it took to satisfy his thirst, and Nicky pulled the cup away and set it on the table beside his bed.

"Thanks, Nicky," he said softly, grateful that he could speak more normally again. He turned to face the vixen beside him, "I really apprec— Holy turnips, Nicky! What happened to you?!"

Nicole Wilde sat carefully in the chair beside Judas' bed, propped between numerous pillows and cushions to keep her upright and comfortable. Her usually bright red fur seemed dull and thin to Judas, and the coat was mottled with numerous patches of bare skin where the fur had been shorn away to stich or bandage ugly looking cuts and scrapes. Both of her forearms were wrapped in white bandages all the way from her elbows to her wrists. Large purple welts could be seen through her fur in many of the places the bandages did not cover. Nicky's eyes were also bloodshot and red-rimmed, their usual green sparkle now only a dull glimmer. But most worryingly to Judas was the large bandage wrapped around the side of her head, covering her left ear entirely.

"Holy _turnips_? Really, Fluff? Really?" Nicky cracked a small smile and raised her eyebrow at the rabbit.

"Seriously, Nicky! What happened to you? And, why am I…" Judas trailed off as fragmented memories started to reassemble. "That wasn't all just a crazy dream, was it?" he asked quietly. Nicky shook her head slowly. "That means…" Judas' eyes travelled back to the bandages on Nicky's arms and the one around her head. "Oh, no!" he whispered, a mess of roiling emotions boiling up in his stomach. Fear, anger, regret, disgust, self-hatred, but most strongly, despair, fought for supremacy, each wave of emotion sending a blazing stab of pain through his heart. Tears began to pour down his face at the realisation of what he'd done, and what he'd _tried_ to do, to his best friend.

"Hey! It's alright! It's okay. I'm okay," Nicky's eyes flew wide as she saw Judas' sudden reaction. She got out of her chair as quickly as her injuries allowed and went to wrap Judas in a hug.

"Get back!" he snapped, retreating as far as he could from the approaching vixen, pain and sadness causing his voice to crack. "I-I might hu-hurt you again!" he sobbed, curling himself into a ball on the far side of the bed, wishing that he could return to the blackness he had just woken from.

From where his head was tucked, he heard a muffled sigh of exasperation from Nicky before he felt the bed move as the vixen slowly climbed onto the mattress. He clenched himself tighter, burying his head between his knees and chest as he felt Nicky's bandaged arms wrap around him and pull him into a gentle embrace.

" _Beep-Beep-Beep."_

"Judas," Nicky whispered softly into his ear, while stroking the back of his head. "You need to calm down, okay? This isn't your fault. You couldn't control yourself. You were drugged."

"B-but it _is_!" Judas wept. "I jumped in front of the dart! And I _hurt_ you!" All the rabbit could see behind his closed eyes was Nicky's terrified face as he'd stalked her, and the fear and pain in her eyes when he'd torn at her with his claws and teeth. Even the memory of her blood in his mouth turned his stomach, and he had to fight the urge to vomit out the drink he'd just had.

"Did you _want_ to hurt me?" Nicky asked quietly. Judas sat bolt upright at the suggestion, breaking easily out of her arms

"Of course not!" he stared at her aghast, horrified at the idea. "Why would I ever want to hurt you?"

"Then why did you jump in front of the shot?" she prompted gently.

"I-I don't really know," Judas deflated. "Maybe I hoped it would just make me timid and meek like rabbits used to be, or…" he squeezed his eyes shut and continued in a whisper, "maybe I hoped I'd be too weak to hurt you. You know, with my leg and all." As if only now allowing himself to notice the injured limb, he slowly stretched it out in front of himself, relieving some of the building up pain and tension in the heavily bandaged leg.

"So, you did it because you wanted to protect me?" Nicky asked, pulling him back into a hug with his back resting on her front and her muzzle between his ears. Judas nodded slowly, not trusting himself to speak. "Well, then. How could I possibly be angry or scared of you then?"

"Because, I hurt _you_ , Nicky!" Judas insisted, ducking his head away again. "And I don't know how you could ever forget that."

"You're right," Nicky replied. "I probably won't ever forget it. But I do _forgive_ it."

"But—!"

"Don't!" Nicky overrode Judas' protest, her stern voice leaving no room for argument. "Don't hate yourself for something you had no control over! I know I certainly don't."

Reluctantly, Judas allowed himself to relax into the comforting hold of the vixen. She was right. They were both safe, and it didn't seem that she was too badly injured after all. Of course, he didn't really know how bad his own injuries were, considering that he'd only just woken up. _'That raises a good question though,'_ he thought to himself, _'how come I'm sane again? And how long have I been unconscious for?'_ Judas turned to Nicky, hoping that she could answer at least some of his questions.

"Should I come back later?" a cheery new voice rang out through the quiet room before Judas could utter a single word. Both Judas and Nicky swung their heads to look at the source of the voice, a female raccoon in doctor's clothing. She held a clipboard in her paws and a satisfied smirk on her face. "I don't want to intrude on your 'moment'," she winked at the pair of mammals on the bed, miming quotation marks with her paws.

Judas blinked at the raccoon blandly, then turned back to Nicky who wore a similar look of confusion on her face. Her face that was very close to his own. _'Oh.'_ Judas' eyes suddenly widened as he realised how the two of them must have looked to the doctor when she walked in. Nicky's eyes also flashed wide and her muzzle formed a small 'o' shape. They both quickly leant away from each other.

"It's not what it looks like!"

"We weren't – we, uh!" They both sputtered at once in mild panic. The raccoon doctor laughed at the pair's reaction. Despite their denials, both mammals were still huddled together on the hospital bed and were blushing furiously. She could even see it through the vixen's red fur.

"Of course it isn't," she chuckled moving towards the machines next to the bed. "Just two _really_ good friends, right?" Although Judas could hear the sarcasm in the doctor's voice, he felt a sharp twinge at the word, 'friends'.

Nicky cleared her throat and disentangled herself from Judas, keeping clear of the cords and tubes still attached to the rabbit. "Hello again, Kathy. Long day today?" Judas frowned to himself, envious of how easily the vixen seemed to be able to slip back into her normal persona.

"Oh, it's not too bad, Nicky, thanks to you two!" the raccoon replied happily as she began checking the machines next to Judas' bed. Without breaking her stride, she turned to Judas, "It's good to see you awake, Officer Hopps! I must say, you gave a lot of mammals quite the fright for a time there, not the least of them being Nicky here," she winked again at Judas. "Speaking of which," her voice suddenly became stern as she fixed Nicky with a glare. The fox was slowly struggling back into her padded chair, and was clearly in pain. "I thought I told you not to move out of your chair without someone here to help you! You do that again, and I'll send you back to your own bed and strap you down!" Nicky nodded her acceptance, panting lightly as she leant into the cushions.

"Wait, Nicky's still supposed to be in bed?" Judas demanded quickly, struggling to shuffle to the side of the bed. "Why did you let her out! She should be resting!" Kathy turned her glare from Nicky to Judas, and he quickly stopped moving.

"So should you!" she snapped. "You've been shot, thrown about, kicked, practically blown up _and_ darted with Night Howler toxin! You lost a lot of blood, died _twice_ and then you've been unconscious for nearly a week! So. Lie. Down." Judas wisely did as he was told, privately relieved as he did so, the movement having been rather painful. Kathy methodically went about reconnecting wires and sensors to the now compliant rabbit that had come undone in his earlier scuffle.

"Besides," she continued after a few minutes of silence, her voice having regained its former levity, "there was very little any of us could do to stop her from coming in here. Nicky's barely moved from that chair in the last three days."

Judas turned his head to find Nicky carefully inspecting her claws, studiously avoiding eye contact. He was about to scold the vixen for putting her own recovery in jeopardy when his brain suddenly caught up with what the doctor had said about his own injuries. "I _died_?!" he exploded, voice cracking with the sudden strain. He tried to sit upright, but a fresh wave of pain shot through his body at the sudden movement, causing him to collapse back onto the pillow again with a groan.

"I told you to lie down!" Kathy snapped, pressing a paw to his chest to make sure he didn't try to rise again. Judas knew the gesture wasn't necessary. He wasn't going to move again for a very long time. "Yes," she continued in a softer voice, "you died. We were obviously able to resuscitate you both times, but you had lost a lot of blood, and the dose of Night Howler toxin you received was meant for a much larger mammal and it wreaked havoc with your heart. You're very lucky to be alive, Officer Hopps. Maybe it's true what they say about rabbit's feet after all," she smiled gently.

"Judas," he replied glumly. "It's just Judas. I'm not an officer anymore. I resigned."

"Well, I'm not so sure about that. Chief Bogo was very _insistent_ to my department head that his _officer_ should receive the very best care possible. He seemed really worried about you, you know."

"Chief Bogo?" Judas asked. "Are you sure we're talking about the same mammal here?"

"Huge, grey, dark and brooding buffalo in uniform?" Kathy listed with a dry smile, checking the intravenous drip attached to his right arm. "Oh, and he smiles like this," she scowled dramatically down at Judas to demonstrate her point, receiving a light chuckle in response.

"Oh, yes!" Nicky chimed in with a smile, "I think you've described him perfectly!"

Judas still wasn't entirely convinced, but he had more important questions on his mind, "So, Doctor…?"

"Kathy's fine, dear," the raccoon smiled, adjusting some dials on the machine beside his bed.

"So, Kathy," Judas smiled, "you said I was unconscious for a week?"

"More like five days," she corrected. "We kept you in an induced coma until we'd developed the anti-toxin. Couldn't have you running riot around on that leg."

Judas nodded in understanding, then his smile faltered. "But, what's going on out there?" he gestured towards the window looking out to the city. The blinds were drawn, so he couldn't see anything outside, and only the waning afternoon sunlight seeped in. The raccoon doctor's face drew taught and she pursed her lips.

"I think it'd be better if I let Chief Bogo fill you in on that tomorrow when he comes back. Suffice it to say, things are better now, but there's still a lot of turmoil out on the streets." She shook her head and forced her smile back. "But, that's not important right now. What is important, is that you should make a full recovery!" Kathy glanced briefly at her clipboard before fixing Judas with a friendly glare and wagged a finger in his face. "You just need time to recover, and to let your leg heal. Again, you were very fortunate that the bullet didn't hit any bone. It was relatively simple to stitch everything back together, but I still don't want you running about too soon and ruining all my hard work!"

"Ha! No stress there, Doc," Judas grimaced as another twinge of pain raced up his leg. He had, of course, felt the need to shift the limb as soon as Kathy had mentioned the wound, and now he was paying the price. "I think I'll just lay here for quite some time!"

"Good," Kathy turned to face Nicky again. "And you, young Miss," she scolded playfully, "should be doing the same! I'll not have you sleeping in that chair again tonight! Your bunny-friend's awake now, so you have no excuse!" Judas looked sharply at the vixen, who flicked her eyes away again in what seemed like embarrassment. There seemed to have been a lot going on while he was unconscious, and Judas meant to find out as much as he possibly could. Unfortunately, Kathy looked like she was done with her duties, and was making to leave.

"Now, if there's nothing else?" she asked politely.

"Um, there was just one more thing for now," Judas answered. Kathy waited patiently for the rabbit to speak. "Did, ah," he began nervously. "Did somebody tell my parents what happened?"

Kathy smiled again, "They're here at the moment actually. I could send them in if you like?" Judas glanced at Nicky questioningly. She smiled and nodded encouragingly back at him.

"Sure," he said slowly. "That'd be…nice" Kathy nodded with a smile, and shut the door behind herself, leaving the two mammals alone again.

"So…" Judas broke the silence after a few minutes had passed. "You really slept in that chair?"

"Watching someone else sleep can be really tiring, Carrots," Nicky smirked. "Especially when they're doing it all day, every day. I guess I just dozed off once or twice."

"Aha," Judas wasn't quite convinced that was all there was to it. "But, why were you in here in the first place? I mean, if I'm just sleeping, there isn't really much point is there?" he teased lightly.

"Well, who else is going to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't get yourself into even more trouble?"

"While I'm asleep?"

"Knowing you, Fluff, anything's possible!" she chuckled lightly, causing Judas to roll his eyes.

"Whatever," he snorted. They lapsed back into a comfortable silence. Judas still had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but right now he felt too comfortable to care. Instead, he lay still and savoured the feeling of being alive. And of sharing the time with his best friend.

He didn't have long to savour the feeling in silence though, before the door slammed open and two harried, yet excited rabbits burst into the room.

"Jude!"

"Judas, my baby!" Both Stuart and Bonnie Hopps yelled at once, stinging Judas' ears with the sudden burst of sound. Judas had no time to prepare before he was suddenly wrapped in a tight embrace from either side of the bed, his mother jumping up onto the mattress to fling both her arms about her son.

"You're awake!" she sobbed into his neck where she had buried her head.

"We were so worried, son," his father whispered, his voice strained with emotion.

"Guys!" Judas tried to laugh, but his voice came out more like a chocked gasp. "It's alright," he cleared his throat. "We're alright," he smiled past his mother's head to where Nicky was watching the exchange with an amused grin.

"Yes," Bonnie pulled back with a suddenly stern expression. "No thanks to you! How _dare_ you take poor Nicky into such a dangerous situation!" She grabbed his closest ear and pinched it tight, evoking a startled yelp of pain from the young buck. "You could have got her killed!" She gave Judas' ear a sharp tug, before letting go and hopping off the bed. She walked over to the vixen and gave her a warm, motherly hug, which the fox comfortably returned as best she could.

Judas rubbed his ear, trying to restore feeling to the abused appendage while he watched the scene in confusion. "But, I didn't—"

"Your mother's right, Jude," Stu interrupted, walking around the bed to the fox's side and giving her a side-hug, confusing Judas even more. "You should know better! You're a trained police officer! She's not!"

"But, I'm not—"

"Seriously, son," Bonnie cut him off with a glare, "Look at her! What were you thinking? She got attacked by a savage mammal!"

Up until this point, Nicky had been looking rather smug nestled between the two protective rabbits, smirking back at the bewildered buck lying on the bed. But at Bonnie's last words, her eyes shot wide and she frantically started mouthing words at Judas and shaking her head as enthusiastically as she could without the two older rabbits noticing. But, whether Judas was too unbalanced by the strange sight of his parents so earnestly defending a fox after so long having despised them, or the medication flowing through the intravenous drip, the young mammal didn't pick up on her hints.

"Huh? Didn't she tell you?" Nicky slapped her face with paw.

"Tell us what?" Bonnie asked in a tone that Judas would usually have recognised as dangerous if it hadn't been for the increased dose of medication that was now making its effect felt.

"That I did that," Judas smiled back. He was starting to feel deliciously warm and comfortable, and the bed was _ever_ so soft. Briefly he wondered why he was now seeing six mammals in the room instead of the earlier three, but quickly brushed the concern aside.

"Excuse me?" Judas heard his mother's voice echo strangely through the dimming room. It reminded him of times he or his siblings had gotten in trouble as youngsters, and had heard those same words echoing through the halls of the burrow. But for some reason, they didn't carry that old fear with them this time.

"I attacked her," he yawned, snuggling deeper under the soft, comfortable, fluffy, _warm_ sheets. "I was the savage mam…mal…" he let out a tiny sigh of contentment as his eyes seemed to close of their own accord, shutting out the world about him. Just as he drifted into the welcoming embrace of oblivion, his ears heard one last exasperated voice.

"Dumb bunny!" Nicky muttered. But Judas was already fast asleep.

* * *

The next few days seemed to both drag on forever, and pass in a flurry of activity for Judas. Between his frequent, and sometimes hallucinatory, medication-induced sleeps and the never-ending array of tests and check-ups that the doctors and nurses forced him through, he received a startling number of visits from family and friends.

Chief Bogo had been the very first visitor the next morning. Judas had just been finishing his breakfast, joking with Nicky about how even the basic fare was still better than many of the meals he had cooked for himself in his tiny apartment. Nicky had been horrified at the revelation, and was promising to teach the "poor, uncivilised rabbit" how to cook himself some decent meals when the hulking buffalo had stormed in. Clad in his immaculate uniform, badges and stars glinting in the morning sunlight streaming in through the open window, and a fierce scowl affixed to his face he struck quite an intimidating figure. Steeling himself as best he could for the inevitable explosion, Judas turned to face his former employer.

"Gods above, Hopps! I'm glad to see you awake!" the towering mammal had smiled down at the bed, visibly relaxing. "You gave us all one hell of a fright back there!"

"I, ah…? Sorry? Wha—"

"I'm so sorry that we never got your call in the first place, or we might have been able to prevent some of this, but at least your warning to Wolford got through, otherwise we might never have made it in time to save you both," the chief of police rambled while Judas watched on in utter confusion.

Eventually, Bogo had noticed Judas' expression and snapped himself out of his apology-turned-babble. "What the hell were you thinking!?" he suddenly snapped, drawing himself up to his full height, and bumping his horns on the ceiling in the process. "You almost got yourself and Miss Wilde killed!"

Judas had hung his head in shame, knowing full well that the buffalo was right. It hadn't been his place to interfere. An ex-cop didn't have the authority, or right, to do what he had done. He was on the verge of apologising and accepting whatever punishment the chief deemed necessary when Nicky had surprised them both by answering.

"We were thinking that we couldn't sit back and do nothing anymore, sir," she had stated calmly. "Things were getting worse by the day, and the ZPD could no longer do what they needed to. Not your fault, I know chief," she added when she saw Bogo opening his mouth to protest. "If citizens can no longer trust a government or police force to keep them safe, and have the means to at least try to make things right again, is it not then their responsibility to do so? I mean, isn't that how revolutions work? What's the difference here?" Her logic had floored both males, and Bogo had been forced to grudgingly agree, although with less of a fight than Judas had expected.

After this point, conversation had quickly changed to discussing the fallout from the live video feed revealing Bellwether's conspiracy to the entire city. Bogo had admitted to surprise at the revelation, especially with how concerned the new mayor had seemed about the crisis, but when he had looked through the details of her plans that Nicky had saved, things had made a great deal more sense.

The city, however, had exploded into uproar after the segment had aired, the calming words of John Evergreen, the koala newsreader, and Nicky's friend, going unheeded as mammals spilled into the streets. Pro and anti-predator groups had clashed in a spate of conflicts across the city, and although nobody had been killed, multiple mammals had been hospitalised and/or arrested. The ZPD had wasted no time in remobilising their predator officers and first apprehending all the mayor's forced replacements, but the violence had continued through the night.

When the Federation troops arrived in the morning, Chief Bogo had met them, explained the situation, and within a few short hours all the riots had been quelled and a curfew enforced. Despite his reluctance towards the idea, Bogo had accepted that it was the only way to keep peace until tempers settled.

Meanwhile, using the information in the folder the pair had rescued from the rail crash, a mixed team of officers and military troops had located and seized three more mobile Night Howler labs in various disused rail tunnels. The equipment and information in those tunnels had enabled the best of Zootopia's medical scientists to isolate the toxin responsible for the savagery and then synthesise an anti-toxin. Judas had been the first successful test case, and the other hundred or so savage mammals were all currently receiving the treatment as fast as it could be produced. Judas had at first been outraged that he had been the first to receive the treatment, believing that other mammals needed it more than he, but both Nicky and Chief Bogo had insisted that he needed it more as he was by far the worst injured savage. In the end, it had only been the suggestion that he had been something of a test subject to see that it really worked that silenced his protests.

Officers had also found the rams that the pair had fought with in the tunnels shortly after rescuing Judas and Nicky. All three had been alive, although with varying degrees of injuries, and had all required hospitalisation. Doug, who had been side-swiped by the train, had been more heavily injured than the other two with multiple breaks and contusions. He was currently in a coma under police guard. Doctors were unsure if he would ever wake, but if he did, he would be permanently crippled, a severed spinal cord ensuring he would never walk again. Judas tried to feel sympathy for the ram, but the memory of his gleeful voice at the prospect of darting Officer Delgato in ZPD headquarters made it rather difficult. Both Bogo and Nicky seemed quite satisfied at that outcome, however, and didn't waste a moment struggling with their feelings over the matter.

Judas was also quite relieved to hear that Dawn Bellwether was behind bars, awaiting an official hearing, but the evidence against her was overwhelming. Even the Federation Council, who rarely interfered with internal State affairs, had been demanding that she be sent to them to stand trial for High Treason. Regardless, Judas was glad that she could no longer carry out her terrifying plot.

Eventually, the conversation had come around to Judas' standing with the ZPD.

"But, sir," Judas had protested when Bogo had asked when he might be expecting to return to duty, "I resigned."

"Not quite, Hopps," had come the smug reply. "You see, you left your badge on the table and walked out, but you never formally resigned," he explained to the dumfounded rabbit. "You never handed in a formal letter of resignation, or signed any of the required paperwork. I placed you on an indeterminate suspension until I could get you to complete everything properly." He gave Judas a conspiratorial smirk that reminded him all too well of Nicky. "I guess I never got around to getting all that sorted with all the chaos going on in the city."

"You mean I'm still an officer?" Judas had asked breathlessly.

"No," Bogo grinned wickedly at the crestfallen buck. "You're still _my_ officer!" All three mammals had chuckled together at that, although Judas felt a little nervous as to what exactly Bogo had been implying. The talked for a short while about more mundane issues, such as how long Judas' recovery might take, and the quality of care both he and Nicky were receiving. Eventually, a nurse came in, reminding them all that Judas needed his rest, and asked the chief to leave. With a good-natured smile, he saluted Judas, and then turned to study Nicky for a long moment with a more critical stare, before rapidly striding out the open door, scowl back in place once more.

Judas' parents were also regular visitors over the next two days, coming and going regularly throughout the day, often bringing fresh food with them, much to Judas and Nicky's delight and the nurses' dismay. The first time they had returned after Judas' medicated confession had been quite an emotional one as he had been forced to explain in great detail what had happened to the pair in the museum, and also what he remembered from the attack. At first, his parents had been entirely horrified by the grisly revelations, but after he and Nicky had explained (as best they could) their motivations and reasonings for their actions, Bonnie and Stuart had broken down into a flood of tears, swamping both mammals in damp embraces.

Judas was still surprised at how well Nicky and his parents were getting along, but when he'd asked about it, he received little more than amused giggles from both females and a warm smile from his father.

"We're well past that now, Jude," Bonnie had said. "Besides, anyone who cares about you as much as Nicky here does must be alright in our books!" But, by the sideways glances Nicky and his parents had quickly shared, Judas reasoned that there was likely more to the situation than they were sharing right now. He vowed quietly to himself that he would find out the whole story later.

Two days after Judas had woken up, Bonnie and Stu were convinced that the young buck really was improving and that he was being well looked after. With a large farm to manage, and a horde of young bunnies to coral, they barely ever left the property, and had already been away far longer than they felt comfortable with. So, they bid a tearful farewell, and extracted a promise from Judas to MuzzleTime them every day to let them know how he was progressing.

"That means you too, young Miss!" Bonnie had spun around to the giggling fox who abruptly stopped. "I expect to see your lovely face every evening too! And If I hear that you're not looking after yourselves properly, I'll ring up Kathy and let her give you both a piece of my mind." The three females had gotten along well with each other and quickly became friends. Bonnie and Kathy had even exchanged numbers so they would be able to keep in touch after Judas' stint in the hospital was over. With that, Bonnie had once more hugged the now stunned fox and giggling rabbit, and marched out with her husband in tow.

Later the same day his parents had left, Judas was surprised by a visit from Emmitt and Julia Otterton. Emmitt had successfully received the treatment trialled on Judas, and had been released from care the previous day. They had both come to thank Judas, and Nicky as well once they learned her part, for what they had done to first track down Emmitt when nobody else had been willing, and then for continuing on to find the mammal responsible. Judas had been quite embarrassed by the heartfelt gratitude shown by both otters, and hadn't know what to do with the huge bouquet of flowers they had brought with them. That was where Nicky had stepped in to the rescue, taking the flowers with a gushing smile, and positioning them prominently on Judas' already crowded bedside table. The couple didn't stay long, noticing that both the rabbit and fox still looked quite weary, and pleading the need to get back to their children as an excuse, they soon left, insisting that the pair come and visit their shop from time to time.

The Ottertons weren't the only surprise visitors either. The next day they were busily telling each other happy memories from their vastly different childhoods when a loud knock on the door interrupted them. At Judas' welcome, a huge polar bear had squeezed through the door to the room, ducking his head so as to not hit his head on the ceiling. Before Judas or Nicky could react, the huge predator had held out both paws, face-up, revealing two very excited arctic shrews. Fru-Fru and Anthony Big (one always marries _into_ the Big family, Judas assumed wryly) greeted the rabbit and fox with squeals of delight and enthusiastic cheers. But it was the gift package they had brought with a second polar bear that entered behind the first that really blew them both away. Expensive wines, chocolates safe for both rabbits and canines, cheeses made from _real_ dairy and so much more were all overflowing from a basket that Judas could have comfortably curled up in to go to sleep.

"Daddy was really grateful for what you two did for the city," Fru-Fru had chirped merrily as her husband helped the heavily pregnant shrew back into the waiting bear's paw.

"He even said," Anthony added with a smirk aimed at the vixen, "that all is forgiven now between you. Although," he laughed slyly, "I wouldn't go about mentioning rugs or skunks around him at any time soon!" They had all laughed together at that, and even the hulking bodyguards stifled a snigger or two. Again, the visitors didn't want to stay long, but as they made to leave, they dropped another bombshell on the recovering rabbit.

"By the way," Anthony had beamed at Judas, "as you can probably see, we're going to be proud parents very shortly. And we were wondering…"

"We were wondering if you would be happy for us to name our daughter Judy, in your honour," Fru-Fru picked up from her husband when his voice choked up. Tears glinted at the corners of her own eyes as she made the request. "Without you, my dear Anthony wouldn't be here today, and neither would our precious little girl," she gently patted her bulging stomach.

Again, Judas had been completely bewildered and mutely nodded his assent. With another squeal of joy, and exuberant thanks from the happy shrews, they left the stupefied rabbit and fox behind.

Nicky had been the first to move again after their latest visitors left, reaching over to pull a champagne bottle from the gift hamper, whistling as she read the label. "Geez, Carrots! This bottle alone must have cost more than I would make in three months!" she had exclaimed in awe "Mr Big must really like you after all!" Judas' ears fell at the news.

"That's what worries me," he admitted sourly. "Now he probably expects me to be in his debt in the future."

"No," Nicky had stated firmly. "That's not how Big operates. If you're indebted to him, you'd know it. This really is just a gift!" Judas brightened considerably again at Nicky's assertion, and looked forward to trying some of the wines with her once they were both out of the hospital and off their medication. But that didn't stop them from sampling the sweeter morsels in the hamper!

From then on, there was a constant stream of other visitors for the friends, fitting in between the regular physio sessions Judas now had to endure for his leg, as well as the other array of treatments that both were still subject to. Many officers from the precinct came with cards, flowers or other treats, to thank the pair for what they had done. Benjamin Clawhauser had brought along a huge box full of donuts to share with the pair, but ended up eating most of them himself while gossiping with them about the latest Gazelle news. Apparently, there were rumours that she was planning to hold a charity concert in Zootopia soon to help support the families impacted directly by the Savage crisis. Judas was secretly excited about the news, but did his best to mask his emotions from the smarmy fox beside him. If she knew how much he liked the popstar, he knew he'd likely never hear the end of it.

Sarah Wolford and her pups also visited with her brother, Brian, resulting in a playful swamping of the rabbit by the excited children. This time it was Nicky's turn to watch in astonishment at how comfortably Judas got on with the rambunctious cubs, not batting an eyelid as they gleefully sniffed at the rabbit.

Finnick also visited, but remained aloft the entire time, and hardly speaking more than necessary. But Judas got the impression from Nicky's demeanour after he had left that the act of him even visiting had been more than she had expected, and had been quite touched by the small display.

* * *

But through all the chaos, there was one constant for Judas the entire time he was in hospital. Nicky hardly ever left his side. She was the first mammal he would see when he woke up in the morning, or from one of his naps, and the last mammal he saw before he closed his eyes. The only times she ever did leave was for bathroom breaks, or when Judas had to use the bedpan, his injuries preventing him from leaving his bed for most of the time.

Most of the time, they just talked. They shared their pasts with each other, not colouring any of the grittier parts, or keeping things back. They discussed old hopes and dreams, and new ones as well. They argued about their favourite sports teams, and animatedly compared favourite movies and television shows. They regaled each other with embarrassing stories, and shared bad jokes to make each other laugh.

And each time, Nicky would laugh, Judas would feel a jolt of electricity coursing through his veins. Soon he found himself wracking his brain for anything that would cause even the smallest smile to form on her muzzle.

* * *

Eventually, the day came that Judas was released from the hospital. Although Nicky had been cleared to leave several days earlier, very little had changed in Judas' routine, and all of a sudden, he found himself wishing that his stay in the hospital would last longer. The days had been full of warmth, safety and joy, despite the severe injuries both mammals were supposed to be recovering from.

"I guess this is it then, Kathy," Judas smiled weakly at the raccoon doctor as she finished her final check.

"Well, you still need to come in weekly to see the physio," she smiled warmly, passing him a pair of appropriately sized crutches. "Here you go, you'll need these for at least a week," she instructed before easily returning to their conversation. "I'll also want to see you in a month's time to check on your progress, so I'm sure we'll see each other again soon!" She favoured them both with a wide smile, her sunny disposition going a long way to improving Judas' uncharacteristically dull mood.

"Not too soon, though, I hope!" Nicky snorted in amusement.

"No, that wouldn't be ideal," Kathy grinned back as Judas rolled his eyes. "Now, remember to keep that leg elevated at night, Judas," she reminded the rabbit. "And that list of exercises for your leg are _not_ optional. If you ever want to chase down bad-guys again, you need to follow that plan _exactly_! Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Judas snapped off a professional salute to the doctor, only ruining the effect with the huge smirk on his face. Kathy snorted in response.

"Now, I have to ask, but where are you staying when you leave? Is there someone around who can keep an eye on you?" Kathy looked over at Nicky who was standing by the buck's side.

"I'm not really sure yet where I'm staying," Judas shrugged. "I was just planning on finding a hotel or something nearby until I managed to sort out a new apartment." Both women shot him near-identical glares, causing him to wilt under the unexpected hostility. "What?" he asked nervously.

"A hotel?!" Nicky asked hotly. "What happened to your apartment?"

"Well, I terminated the lease when I left Zootopia," he explained quietly.

"And why didn't you sort something out while we were here? As I recall, we were just sitting around all day, every day!"

"I guess I just wasn't thinking about it!" Judas defended himself, defiantly ignoring Nicky's glare.

"I don't like the idea of a hotel, Judas," Kathy interrupted. "Do you perhaps have family in the city you could stay with?"

"He's staying with me," Nicky answered flatly as Judas opened his mouth to respond.

"What?" Judas turned to Nicky in surprise. She ignored him, and spoke to Kathy again.

"Is there anything else I should know about his treatment?" she asked the raccoon.

"Not particularly," she grinned. "Just make sure he takes his medication at the right time and in the right dosage. The instructions are in the bag," she nodded to the paper bag the vixen was already holding for the buck.

Nicky nodded sharply, and turned to Judas, "Come on then, Carrots. It's time I got you home."

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Well, I hope that answered some of your questions, but raised a few new ones too! The next chapter may answer and raise more when I get it written, but you'll just have to wait, I'm afraid!**

 **On an interesting side note. Today, the 2nd of August (at least here in Australia) marks exactly one year since I began this story. It has morphed into something so much larger than I had originally expected, and with more fans than I had expected too when I first started, so thank you all again for your continued support! Perhaps it is also ironic that this 22nd chapter should also happen to be posted on what is my 22nd birthday... I certainly didn't plan that!**


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter 23: Stinky Bunny!_

"Sorry about the mess," Nicky prefaced as she slid her key into the lock on her front door, "I wasn't really expecting guests any time soon." Judas mutely nodded his understanding as the vixen opened the door to her apartment. Neither mammal had spoken much in the short taxi ride back from the hospital to the recently re-opened apartment complex. Nicky had been rather preoccupied during the drive, frantically thinking through all the things she would need to get ready for her friend's stay, and Judas had seemed to pick up on her distraction, and left her to her own thoughts.

Firstly, Judas would need a bed to sleep in. Unfortunately, her apartment was only a one-bedroom unit, so she'd have to quickly change the bedding for him and take the couch for herself. Next was food. Although she had technically been staying at home the last few days, she hadn't had any time to go shopping and had been living off mostly hospital cafeteria food and any goodies that Judas' visitors had brought along. She would need to order in for tonight, and then go out for a bigger shop tomorrow, making sure to get food that the rabbit would also enjoy.

But the more she had thought about what had to be done, the more things she thought of. There were dirty dishes on the counter, the carpet needed vacuuming, the clothes basket was full, she hadn't dusted in far too long, the bathroom needed a thorough clean…

' _Oh, no!'_ she'd panicked as they pulled up out the front of her building, _'How's he going to shower?'_ While he had been at the hospital, the nurses had given the very embarrassed rabbit a couple of sponge baths as he wasn't able to get his leg wet, and standing by himself in a shower was still a dangerous task. Consequently, the lack of regular bathing had left Judas with a distinctive odour. Not one Nicky found particularly offensive, but one, as she had been reminded by the momentary grimace on the coyote taxi driver's face, that was rather strong.

She'd been so distracted by this latest worry that she had barely acknowledged Carol's cheery greeting with a wave of her paw as she'd marched into the building's lobby. Nor did she see the look of surprise and confusion on her face as the dingo saw Judas hobbling behind the vixen on his crutches.

Nicky was still trying to think of a solution as she opened her door for the rabbit. She pushed the concern aside for the moment and turned to gauge the rabbit's reaction as she held the door for him to enter first. Judas paused a few steps inside, allowing Nicky room to enter and shut the door behind herself. He slowly scanned about the room, and Nicky internally cringed every time his gaze passed over something out of place.

The main living area that they had entered comprised a well-equipped kitchen off to their left, a breakfast counter running along its length, separating it from the entry hall. Past that was the dinning and lounge room, the only separation there being the couch in the middle of the room, facing the huge wall-mounted television screen, with a small circular dining table set up behind it. On the far left, between the kitchen and dining table, a corridor led off to the bathroom and bedroom.

"What mess?" Judas asked in confusion, snapping Nicky's attention back to her guest.

"'What mess?' Why, that mess!" Nicky swept her paw through the air in front of them, indicating the whole room. "I haven't had time to clean anything much the last few days," she muttered, dropping Judas' light duffel bag at the end of the couch, and quickly springing forward to collect the dirty plates from the table and counter.

"It's not that bad," Judas replied, awkwardly moving forward to help the vixen by collecting mugs from the coffee table. Nicky glared at him, then looked pointedly at the couch, then back at the rabbit. Raising his paws in mock defeat, he stepped away from the dishes, and settled into the soft couch with a muffled sigh of relief.

"You sit there, and keep that leg _still_ while I quickly wash these," she called from the kitchen over the running tap. "Then I'll change my bed sheets for you and you can rest in there if you like, while I get everything else sorted."

"Your bed sheets?" she saw the rabbit swivel in his seat to look towards where she was standing, both paws busy in the foamy sink. She rolled her eyes, ' _Why can't that rabbit ever stay still when he's told?'_

"But, where are you going to sleep then?" Nicky could hear the concern in Judas' voice, and had to suppress her natural desire to tease him.

"I'll take the couch," she replied simply instead, keeping her eyes focussed on the soapy coffee mug in her paw. She added it to the growing pile of clean dishes and went back for another.

"The couch?!" Judas exclaimed hotly. "I can't let you take the couch! This is your place! I'm happy to sleep on the couch, I'm smaller than you anyway, so it's not too small for me."

"Judas," Nicky put the last plate in the rack and turned to face her guest again, drying her paws on a tea-towel. "You were _shot_. There is no way I'm letting you sleep on the couch. And that's final," she added as Judas opened his mouth to protest again. He promptly shut it again, working his jaw up and down as he tried to think of how to reply.

"Well," he began slowly after a moment's silence, "I don't want to be a hassle, so there's no need to bother changing your sheets," he eventually countered. Nicky crossed her arms with a smirk plastered across her muzzle. This time, there was no restraining the snarky reply on her lips.

"You like the smell of vixen that much, do ya, Fluff?" she winked suggestively at the suddenly flustered buck.

"Wha—? No! I mean, yes! Of course, I d— But not too much! I mean, you smell nice – not that I've been smelling you though! But – Argh!" he finally growled in exasperation, burying his face into his paws while Nicky sniggered at Judas' embarrassed babbling. "I hate you," he muttered from behind his paws.

"Awww, c'mon, Carrots," Nicky pranced gleefully over to the couch, and prised Judas' paws away from his face. "Don't say that! You know you love me!" Although she had said it in jest, Nicky found her pulse suddenly racing in the second or two of silence as Judas' bright blue eyes searched hers and she waited breathless for his response. He blinked, and his eyes flashed with a mischievous glint again.

"Weeelll," he drew out the word with a cheeky smile that had Nicky's heart suddenly skipping a beat, "Do I know that?" he winked back at her in a mirror of her earlier gesture.

"Hate you," Nicky harrumphed, and stood up to leave in a mock-sulk, only just now letting go of Judas' paws. Judas stuck out his tongue and happily blew a raspberry at the retreating vixen. As she made her way towards her bedroom, Judas called out again from the couch.

"You're still making too much of a hassle about me staying here, Nicky. Change the sheets if you like, but _please_ don't make any more of a fuss, okay? Otherwise I _will_ get up and help you!" he threatened playfully. Nicky paused at the entrance to the hallway, and turned slowly to where Judas was grinning victoriously over the back of the couch at her.

"You will do no such thing," she replied flatly.

"Then do we have a deal?"

"No."

"Fine then," Judas let out a low sigh and shifted his weight, preparing to leave the couch. "I think I see some shelves that need dusting," he said, as if to himself. "Might have to jump up a bit to reach those high ones though," he mused. A low rumble started in Nicky's throat, and Judas turned back towards her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sit," she demanded. Judas ignored her, and slowly began to raise himself to his feet. "Fine! Deal!" Nicky finally snapped before he could put any more weight on his injured leg. Judas looked back at her again, a triumphant smile on his face as he slowly lowered himself back into the couch again, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Dumb bunny, hustling me," she muttered darkly stalking into her room and roughly stripping her rumpled sheets from the small-mammal Queen-sized bed.

"Oh, yeah?" Judas called cheerily from the other room, reminding Nicky too late how good his hearing was. "Then what does that make you? Even dumber fox?"

Nicky clamped her jaw shut this time to prevent her inner grumblings being heard by the insufferable rabbit. _'Unless he also happens to be telepathic!'_ she spat internally, snagging her half-full dirty clothes basket on her way out of the room with her bedding bundled together in her other arm.

"Awww, c'mon Nicky," Judas sang out in a rather poor imitation of her own earlier bubblier tone. "Don't be like that! You know you love me!"

' _Damn!'_ she growled to herself, stuffing her laundry into the washing machine in the bathroom. _'Maybe he is telepathic after all! Just my luck!'_ Ignoring the laughter coming from the other room, she quickly went back to her room and pulled out the spare set of bedding and went about remaking the bed. She did allow herself a sly grin as she thought about how the smug rabbit might react to the frilly pink set. She stepped back to admire her work, pleased with the results for such a rushed job. She took an experimental sniff of the air, frowned, and pulled an aerosol can of ScentKiller out of her drawer and sprayed a light mist over the bed, and then in the air of the room for good measure. Another sniff declared the room ready for her guest.

With a smile on her muzzle again, she re-entered the lounge room, finding Judas absently scrolling through his phone as he lay on the couch.

"All ready for you, Fluff!" she announced proudly, smirking when Judas started.

"Oh! Thanks, Nicky!" he smiled brightly, bending his head backwards over the armrest to see her.

"No more stinky fox smell to keep you awake all night," she winked, picking up the buck's bag from where she had left it beside the couch.

Judas sighed, "It really wasn't an issue, Nicky." He slowly swivelled to a sitting position, and then stood up with some help from the vixen. Nicky passed him his crutches, and he thanked her with a warm smile before continuing. "My sense of smell isn't as sensitive as yours, so I doubt it would have kept me awake, but thanks anyway."

"Yes," Nicky replied sourly, wrinkling her nose in mock disgust. "I can tell you mustn't be able smell all that well." She gave the buck a pointed glance as they slowly made their way towards her room again. Judas gave an experimental sniff of his armpit, and quickly recoiled, an embarrassed grimace on his face.

"Hmmm, I think I need a shower," he replied sullenly as they entered the bedroom.

"Stinky bunny," Nicky nodded teasingly, pinching her nose with her free paw. Judas opened his mouth to retort, when he caught sight of the room.

"Really, Nicky?" He eyed bright pink bedspread uneasily. "That was all you had?"

"What?" she cocked her head and gave him an innocent smile. "Don't you like pink? Is it too girly for you?" she teased.

"Whatever," Judas rolled his eyes, and took his bag out of Nicky's paw, ignoring her look of disapproval as he did so, and dumped it on the bed. "I should probably get cleaned up now, anyway," he said as he rummaged through the few clothes his parents had bought him while he was in hospital. "Bathroom in there?" he asked, nodding to the door on the other side of the hallway, opposite the bedroom.

"Yes," Nicky confirmed slowly, shifting her eyes away from Judas. "But you still can't get your leg wet. And there's no bathtub to sit in," she explained uncomfortably, still avoiding eye contact. Her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults as she tried to think best how to raise her concern.

"So?" Judas asked. "I'll just wrap my leg in a plastic bag."

"I'm just not comfortable with you standing in the shower by yourself," Nicky answered quietly.

"I'm not having another sponge bath, if that's what you're suggesting," Judas replied stiffly.

"No!" Nicky quickly assured him. "You really do need a proper shower, but, I just don't want you falling over or something."

"I'll be careful," Judas shrugged.

"But what if you slip?" she said quietly, finally making eye contact with Judas again. "I— _we_ only just got you out of hospital! I'd hate to have to take you back again so soon," she smiled weakly, knowing that Judas could probably clearly read the worry on her face. _'Hmph!'_ she snorted to herself in wry amusement, _'It wasn't long ago that no mammal would've been able to read me like this!'_

Judas sighed, "I guess I could wear some shorts as well while I shower, if you insist on helping me. But I was hoping for a chance to clean myself as well as I could."

Nicky considered the suggestion for a moment, before slowly shaking her head and speaking slowly, "Nah, I think I'll let you look after yourself. _But_ ," she added firmly, "you must promise that you'll call for my help the _instant_ you even _think_ you need it. Period. No ifs. No buts. And no worrying about your 'modesty'," she mimed quotation marks with her paws. "Otherwise," she grinned wickedly at him, "I'll have to come in and keep a _close_ eye on you. To make sure you don't fall, of course!"

"Pfft! You wish, Slick Nic," Judas rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite hide the nervous smile on his face. Nicky picked up matching pink towel she'd placed on the end of the bed, and slowly led Judas across to the bathroom. She showed him where the shampoo and conditioner were, and pointed out the built-in fur-dryer before helping wrap the buck's leg in plastic.

"I'll just be outside the door," Nicky informed him as she stepped out of the room. "And remember, call me—"

"If I need any help. Yes, _mom_ ," Judas rolled his eyes again, this time with a wider smile. "Now, please?" Nicky nodded and retreated through the door, leaving it open in case she needed to get back in in a hurry. She quickly went to the dining table, picked up a chair and carried it back to the bathroom door, sitting down just beside it as the shower started.

But even as she carefully listened to the sounds of the rabbit washing himself, ready at a moment's notice to jump off her chair, she found her thoughts drifting.

It was hard to believe that just a few short months ago, she had been going about her life in much the same way she always had; carefree, self-reliant, isolated and content in what she had. Yet, now, looking back on what her life had been like, Nicky suddenly found herself seeing everything in a rather different light.

Her old way of living now seemed hollow, empty and devoid of meaning. It was amazing how quickly one small mammal could flip her entire existence on its head, but Judas had somehow managed to do just that. He had entered her life like a bolt of grey lightning, completely random and unexpected, yet shockingly powerful. At first, she'd only seen the rabbit as a potential mark. Just another mammal she could scam a few dollars from, but very quickly, his optimism and enthusiasm had started to infect Nicky. And the more time she spent with him, the less she saw him as an obstacle, and the more his ideals started to challenge her own prejudices and preconceptions. He had raised hard questions and triggered even harder memories. He had forced her to take a long hard look at herself, and she hadn't liked what she saw. She had hated him for that at first, but now…

A startled yelp, accompanied by a dull thump, from the bathroom had Nicky leaping off her chair before she'd even realised it.

"Wait!" Judas yelled hurriedly just before Nicky could rush through the door. "I'm fine! Just dropped the shampoo!"

"Damnit, Judas!" Nicky snapped, sagging back into her sentry seat. "Be careful! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Heh. Yeah, sorry about that. Almost gave myself one too," he replied, sounding slightly short of breath. "I won't be too much longer."

"Whatever," Nicky called back, trying to calm her own pounding heart, "take as long as you need." She slowly shook her head and rolled her eyes mockingly, _'See what I mean,'_ she scoffed at herself. _'He's changed you completely!'_

' _You don't seem to be fighting it.'_

' _No. I'm not, am I?'_ she allowed herself a smirk as Judas' smiling face swam up into her mind. _'I think this change is for the best, after all.'_

' _I couldn't agree more!'_ her conscience chirped happily before sinking away once more into the recesses of her mind.

"Ah, Nicky?" Judas' voice cut through the vixen's silent contemplation. She realised that the sound of running water had ceased.

"Yes, Carrots?"

"I, um. I think I, ah, need some help?" he called back timidly.

"Sure thing, Carrots," she stood and entered the room in a single, fluid motion, her bushy tail swinging lazily through the air behind her. A sodden Judas was standing gingerly on the shower mat, not placing any weight on his left leg. He was using his paws then to hold steady against the shower door, and to hold his towel around himself. "What do you need?"

"I, um… well," he mumbled shyly. "The pain medication's wearing off again, and I," he winced as he tried to flex the injured leg, "I can't stand on it anymore. I think I need help getting dry," he smiled thinly at Nicky. Again, the vixen wanted to make another snarky reply, but she could sense how vulnerable Judas was feeling, and held off. For the moment.

"Of course, Fluff," she smiled warmly instead, and was proud to see Judas' ears perk up a little at her genuine reply. She helped him over to the fur-dryer and turned it on to its lowest setting to avoid splattering water halfway across the room. Judas shivered when the stream of air first made contact with his wet fur, but it soon began to heat up, and before long he had a blissful smile on his face as he stood on the grating. Nicky instructed him to tie the towel about his waist, while she left to return a moment later with a fresh one and the chair she had been sitting on.

"Try not to enjoy this too much, Carrots," she grinned, setting the chair beside the bunny with its back closest to him. She directed his paws to rest on it as she picked up the new towel and gently began drying the still-dripping fur on his head.

"Oh, come on, Nicky!" Judas huffed. "I could probably do that now!"

"Not taking any chances, Fluff," she smirked as she momentarily covered his face with the towel, noting that his attempts to evade her were playful at best. "Besides, we gotta get you dry as soon as possible! Can't have you getting sick now, can we?" She moved onto his arms, and had to hide her surprise as she ran the towel, and her paws, along each one. _'Gee! He's certainly got some muscle on these!'_ she marvelled silently as her finger pads lingered slightly over the solid bulges. She mentally slapped herself and rushed on to drying his torso, hoping he hadn't noticed her momentary lapse.

As it turned out, that was even worse. _'How the hell does he hide this?!'_ she bit her lip as she pressed the towel to his front, feeling the definition even through the fur and thick material. She felt her heart begin to pound in her chest, and a light sweat begin to form on her forehead while she struggled to maintain a falsely disinterested face. It wasn't that the rabbit was hugely muscled, but rather that he was extremely well toned, with nary a scrap of fat on his body, and he obviously kept himself extremely fit. It didn't even feel like his nearly two weeks in hospital had softened the rabbit at all.

"Maybe you're the one enjoying this too much, Nicky," Judas snorted in amusement, causing Nicky to jump and drop the towel she'd been using to dry the rabbit.

"Eeek!" she squealed uncharacteristically as she sprawled back on her haunches, setting Judas roaring with laughter. "Oh, 'har, har'," she scowled, righting herself again. "So veeeerrry funny."

"You…ha! You should've…seen your face!" Judas gasped between continuing chuckles.

"I was just startled, that's all!" she sniffed disdainfully, picking up the towel again, and moving to continue drying off the hysterical rabbit. "I just don't see how…" she trailed off as her gaze went back to Judas' chest.

"How, what?" Judas grinned cheekily at her, before the expression on her face caught his eye. "What's wrong, Nicky?" he asked quietly, reaching out his free paw to rest on her shoulder. Nicky didn't even register the question, or the touch. Her attention was fixed once again on the thin, jagged scars slicing across Judas' body, now visible through his fluffed-up fur.

Hesitantly, she raised her right paw, towel completely forgotten, to rest on the buck's chest, her own claws lightly touching the place where the faded lines began on his left shoulder. The spacing between them was smaller than her own claws, but the similarity was striking. And terrifying. A low growl started in her throat, and not a gentle one like she had vocalised earlier in the living room. This one caused the fur on the nape of her neck to bristle and her snout to scrunch in anger.

The scars were by no means new, and she had seen them before, but this time, the sight, _the feel_ , of those three lines beneath her own paw sent jolts of pain, sadness and _fury_ through her.

' _If I ever get my paws on the fox that did this…'_ she seethed, glaring bitterly at the scars underneath her paw, feeling the hard ridges rising from the smooth flesh around them.

"Nicky? Nicky, calm down!" Judas started shaking the vixen's shoulder, cutting off her growl. "Nicky, look at me!" He gently, but firmly lifted her chin until their eyes met. Nicky could see the confusion and worry etched on the rabbit's face, and knew he would again be able to see the storm of her true emotions on hers.

Nicky shook her head out of Judas' paw, breaking eye contact before he could read too much of what was so clearly on display. "You can finish drying yourself, can't you?" she croaked, the large lump that had formed in her throat making it hard to speak. She stood up quickly as Judas nodded mutely, concern still plastered on his face. Passing him the towel, Nicky quickly spun about and left the room as quickly as she could without running.

She made it to the kitchen before the first strangled sob escaped her lips. She slapped her paws over her mouth to try and muffle the sound, but the tears kept coming as she collapsed to the floor. Nicky gave her emotions free range, knowing that the flood may take several minutes to abate, but the quickest way to quiet them was to let them loose.

Sure enough, after just a few short minutes of silent weeping, Nicky was able to take a rasping gulp of air and wipe the last tears from her eyes. After several more deep breaths, she was able to stand again, and she quickly went to the sink to wash her face. Despite only ever showing the rest of the world an impassive, emotionless façade, Nicky knew all too well that she, like any mammal, had emotions, and knew she had to be able to deal with them.

Ever since her disastrous sleepover so many years ago, the vixen had striven to hide her true feelings from others, knowing that they made her vulnerable to them. But to do so, she had to bottle and suppress her emotions, and at first they had erupted uncontrollably at the slightest provocation, causing her many other struggles in her teens. Slowly, though, she had taught herself to release them in her own time, when she was safe and alone, and slowly she had perfected the practice to the point that she was able to withstand even the vilest of insults from the most bigoted of mammals, and still not bat an eyelid when she was in public. When she would get home though, her emotions would be set free.

This time, however, things were different. She no longer felt like she could hide her emotions properly when she was around Judas. It was like the rabbit was her emotional kryptonite. His smile and open personality was slowly stripping away her control, until all that was left was herself, naked and raw for the world to see. The thought terrified her.

"Just some stupid scars, Nicky," she scolded herself quietly as she dried her face on a clean dish towel, scrubbing away the last traces of her emotional outburst. "Nothing new about them! You've seen them before!"

' _But things have changed since then, haven't they?'_ the small voice in the corner of her mind spoke up again. It seemed like the small voice had decided to take up permanent residence in the vixen's mind, and Nicky was already becoming accustomed to her newfound conscience's presence.

And of course, the voice was right again. Things _had_ indeed changed since Nicky had first seen those scars on the sky tram more than a month ago. Not least of those was the fact that she had threatened much the same injury herself, or the fact that she had almost lost her friend because of it.

' _You know that's not what I meant,'_ the small voice insisted. She heard the fur-dryer turn off in the bathroom, and knew that Judas would shortly emerge again, but she found she couldn't move. Her paws gripped the edge of the sink tightly and she stared blindly into the stainless-steel basin as she struggled with her thoughts.

' _You know the real reason you freaked out there, and it wasn't because of your own mistake. You were angry.'_ Nicky nodded silently, reluctantly acknowledging the truth. The first emotion that had hit her in that moment when she had seen the scars again had indeed been anger. She had been _furious_ that anybody had dared to hurt Judas like that. That she knew it was another fox who had caused the damage only made the emotion rage hotter, regardless of the fact that it was from so many years ago.

' _Not really surprising that you'd be so protective though,'_ the voice suggested calmly, almost smugly.

"Nicky? Is everything alright?" Judas called, sounding worried. Nicky heard the buck begin to move down the hallway, his crutches causing a "clack-clack thump" sound as he awkwardly approached. She didn't respond to his question.

' _After all,'_ her conscience continued happily, _'you are in love with him!'_

A small whimper escaped the vixen as Judas entered the room, fixing her with a concerned look.

' _Yes,'_ she admitted heavily to herself. _'Yes, I am.'_

* * *

 **A.N:**

 **Well, I hope that answers some of the persistent questions I've been getting recently!**

 **Again, I'd love to hear any feedback you might have on how I went with this chapter. As always, I welcome the chance to improve my writing, and so I love hearing what you think! Anyway, until next time!**


	24. Chapter 24

_Chapter 24: Dinner, Movies and a D &M_

* * *

"Nicky?" Judas asked the dishevelled vixen as she stared wild-eyed at him. If he wasn't already so worried about her strange behaviour, he might've been put off by the scrutiny.

"Huh?" Nicky squeaked, blinking out of her trance.

"I asked if everything was alright. You're just standing there," Judas tilted his head quizzically, trying to read his friend, "staring at me. Like you've never seen a bunny before." Although Nicky had quickly straightened and resumed her usual content smile, Judas was beginning to pick up on her traits, and he could tell that something was off about her actions. They seemed more wooden and rehearsed than usual, but the fur on her face was damp, and her eyes were red-rimmed.

"Oh," she replied, turning back to the sink with a tea-towel in paw. She began to methodically dry the clean dishes from earlier, placing them on the bench beside her. "Everything's fine," she smiled.

Judas frowned. That smile was definitely one of her fake ones. _'Besides,'_ he reasoned, _'Things are never really 'fine' if a girl says they are.'_

"Really?" he asked, shuffling further into the kitchen on his crutches, attracting another glance of mild disapproval from the vixen. "Because you sure ran out of the bathroom in a hurry," he stated blandly, causing Nicky to glance back to her dishes again. Judas noted her tail was hanging limply on the floor. "And all because of some stupid, old scars that I got as a kit?" A small whimper escaped Nicky as her eyes darted briefly back to the buck's front. Although he was wearing a shirt again, Judas knew what she was really seeing.

"Please, Nicky," he whispered softly, hobbling close enough to rest a paw on her arm. He felt her stiffen at the contact, but she still refused to meet his eyes. "Please tell me what's really got you upset." Slowly, the fox raised her head, until her nose halted just before his. If he wasn't so focused on the raw emotion again visible in her bright green eyes, the proximity might have made him nervous, although not from any sort of primitive fear. Her eyes flicked slowly back and forth, as if searching for something in the buck's own face. Judas kept his own gaze steady, trying to project an aura of calm and support, despite the churning of his stomach, and the steadily increasing throbbing of his injured leg.

Nicky released a drawn-out sigh, the warm, musky breeze ruffling the fur on Judas' muzzle. His nose twitched reflexively at the strange sensation. "I'm sorry, Fluff," she finally answered. "I guess I don't really know what came over me." She stood up straighter, and Judas reluctantly let his paw slide from her arm as they separated. "I saw those scars, and all I could think of was the way I threatened you at the press conference." She turned away again, shame darkening her tone. "I would have been just as bad, _no_ , worse, than the bully that did that to you," she gestured vaguely to his front, her eyes remaining fixed on the granite benchtop.

"Nicky, we've been over this! That was not your fault! That's all on m—" he fell silent as Nicky whirled around to glare fiercely at him.

"Don't you _dare_ pin that all on yourself!" she snapped, appearing rather insulted by the very idea. "That was all, _at least_ , as much my fault!"

"Fine, but it certainly was not all your fault either. Got it?" Judas returned her stare evenly. She sighed and turned away again, muttering something that even Judas' ears couldn't quite make out. "What was that," he asked in a gentler tone.

"I still lost you because of what I did," she repeated softly. "Well, because of what happened," she amended as Judas' fingers began drumming on the benchtop he was leaning on. "And I… I almost lost you again…" she squeezed her eyes tight as she trailed off. She took a deep breath and forged on, turning back to Judas with moisture filling her eyes. "Seeing those scars again reminded me how close I came to losing you. Twice!" Nicky took a shuddering breath as she squared her shoulders, the intensity of her stare cutting Judas to the core. He absently noted that his own cheeks were streaked with tears, but he didn't move to wipe them away. He couldn't move even if he had wanted to, the vixen freezing him to the spot.

"You've _changed_ me, Judas," she smiled tenderly. "I hope you know that I can never go back to the way I lived before you sauntered into that dingy ice cream parlour. _And I never want to!_ " she added earnestly when Judas' ears began to droop. "You showed me that mammals can _change_! That they can _care_ about others more than themselves. That hope is more powerful than fear. And heck! You showed me that a bunny can be a cop! The best cop, even!"

As she spoke, Judas watched in mute amazement as Nicky's face began to glow with pure and unbridled joy, an expression he had never truly seen on her face before. More incredible was that the transformation took her from a place of despair and despondency to one of excitement and kit-like enthusiasm in a matter of seconds. The emotional gradient putting even a rabbit to shame.

"And that, Carrots," Nicky continued, her voice taking on a deeper, husky tone, "is why I got so upset." She stepped forward, once again closing the distance between the pair, and placed her paws on both of Judas' shoulders, bright green eyes boring into his very soul. "I can't imagine what life would be like if I lost the best thing to ever happen to me," she said quietly.

Judas was floored. Nicole Wilde was usually a taciturn fox, keeping her full emotions buried and suppressed, even around Judas. But here she was, spilling her heart out to him, tears of joy and sorrow flowing down both their faces, and Judas couldn't think of a word to say. ' _And I thought I was supposed to be the emotional one!_ '

Instinctively, he opened his arms to the vixen, offering warmth and support, and she eagerly accepted, stepping into the embrace and holding the rabbit tightly to herself.

"You're my closest friend, Judas," she whispered softly into his ear. "Don't ever leave me." The words sounded like a desperate plea to Judas, and he tightened his hold on the fox, ignoring the stinging where her arms brushed healing wounds.

"I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon," he whispered back with a small smile, and felt Nicky relax slightly into his arms. Judas' smile widened and he let himself enjoy the moment. The other times he'd held, and been held by, the vixen, had been rather less enjoyable than this moment, first to stave off hypothermia, and then in a tearful reunion. But now, Judas intended to savour every second before the fox retreated behind her emotional walls. Why he enjoyed her soft touch, and thick fur so much, he didn't dare think about, but he did admit to himself that he did indeed like her scent after all. Not that he would tell her that after his earlier babbling.

But, eventually Nicky loosened her hold and slowly pulled away, and Judas had to suppress an unexpected shiver, disguising the movement as a step backwards. Unfortunately, during their moment, he'd forgotten his injured leg.

"Urrrgggh!" he groaned as pain suddenly flared through his leg. He flailed out with his paws, catching himself on the bench as his leg gave way.

"Carrots!" Nicky exclaimed, reaching out again to steady him, concern quickly returning to her voice. "You okay?"

"Mmm-hmm," Judas grunted trough gritted teeth, as the wave of agony slowly ebbed. "Just forgot about my leg," he grimaced.

"Forgot?!" Nicky demanded, hoisting him gently into her arms, ignoring his weak protests. "When was the last time you took your pain meds?" she demanded, carefully carrying him back to the couch, and laying him out flat. She took great pains not to disturb his leg.

"Um, not since this morning at the hospital, I think," Judas replied slowly, breathing heavily through the strong ache that persisted.

"This morning?" she crossed her arms and glared down at the prone rabbit. "Remind me again how often you're meant to take them?"

"Ah… Two or three times a day?" Judas smiled apologetically.

"Its three times a day, Fluff. And it's what? Quarter past five," she checked the clock on the wall. "So, that means you've missed a set then." Nicky rolled her eyes and re-entered the kitchen, shortly returning with a glass of water and his medication. "Here," she thrust two pills into his paw and then proffered the glass, carefully watching to ensure he swallowed the pills.

Judas gratefully passed the glass back to the vixen, and sunk into the soft couch to wait for the medication to take effect. "Thanks," he sighed.

"'Welcome," Nicky mumbled, walking back to the kitchen.

"No, I meant thanks for opening up back there." Nicky paused at the sink, the glass still clutched tightly in her paw. "It means a lot to me, what you said," Judas continued softly. "I don't know if I deserve any of what you said, but I'll try my best not to disappoint you. Thanks for trusting me again."

"Don't mention it, Carrots," Nicky's called back cheerfully.

' _Aaaaand her walls are up again,'_ Judas sighed to himself. However, if he had been looking back into the kitchen, he might have seen the sag of Nicky's shoulders, and the way her tail dragged behind her when she moved over to the fridge.

"Hey, how does pizza sound for dinner?"

* * *

"No way! What the hell do they think they're doing?" Judas glared at the screen. "You don't just take your helmet off in an _alien spaceship_ on another freaking _planet_!"

"Well, they need a way to kill off the dumber characters first," Nicky smirked, before taking another bite out of the slice of pizza in her paw. "Mmm!" she grunted in satisfaction. "You sure you won't try a bite?" she asked, proffering the bug-lovers slice to the bunny leaning up against her. His leg was still stretched out, taking up the rest of the couch, forcing the two of them bunch together at one end. Not that Nicky minded at all, and it didn't seem that Judas was too concerned about their arrangment either.

"Uggh! No thanks!" Judas wrinkled his nose at the offending morsel and turned his attention back to the big screen on Nicky's wall. Grinning, she took another bite and resumed watching.

Not the movie, though. No, there was something far more interesting for her to watch now. Judas' reactions to substandard plot of the sci-fi thriller, for example. _'Besides,'_ she smiled to herself, _'he's far cuter than any of the male leads, even that wolf-robot!'_

"Idiots," muttered Judas in clear disgust. "Strange black goop coming out of weird alien canisters in a creepy, deserted spaceship. 'Oooh! Let's go touch it!' What? Do they _want_ to die a horrible death?" he scoffed.

"Perhaps they're just too—"

"Ha!" Judas sneered as a long, slimy creature erupted out of the puddle of ooze and wrapped itself around the moose astronaut's arm. "You deserve that you stupid – What?" Judas turned to glare at Nicky as she tried unsuccessfully to hold in her fit of laughter.

"You're so cute when you get like that!" she giggled into her paw. "It's only a silly movie!"

"Hmmpf!" Judas snorted, swivelling his head back to the screen. "Don't call me cute."

"Sure thing, cutie!" Nicky shot straight back. Judas groaned, but otherwise ignored her, picking up another piece of his now cold veggie-supreme pizza. They settled back again to continue watching the movie in relative silence, punctuated by Judas' groans of disgust and disbelief whenever one of the characters did something impulsive or idiotic. Which was often. Nicky just enjoyed both the film and the company of her favourite mammal.

Eventually, the end credits began to roll up the screen and Judas released a pent-up sigh of exasperation. "Well, _that_ was mediocre. Remind me never to trust any sentient robot," he grumbled to Nicky as she stood to clean up the remainder of their dinners. "Wolf-shaped or otherwise. I mean, obviously the guy was evil, but impregnating that tigress with some random alien larvae-thing? Surely there was a better way to work out what the things were!"

"Hey, you chose the movie, remember, Fluff?" Nicky called back from the kitchen, wrapping the leftover slices on a plate and storing them in the fridge.

"Uggh! Don't remind me! The original was so much better! I just hoped that maybe they'd be able to do alright with this one."

"Do you want to choose another one then?" Nicky asked, opening the freezer and pulling out a tub of vanilla ice-cream.

"I don't want to keep you up."

"Nah! It's still plenty early," Nicky replied, busying herself with preparing some dessert.

"Well, I'll let you choose then. I don't seem to be having any luck picking good ones tonight," he snorted, causing Nicky's lip to curl in a smile.

"Are you sure, Fluff? Aren't you worried I might pick something really sappy?" She returned to the couch carrying a pair of bowls, a spoon in each.

"After that, I really couldn't care less," Judas accepted the banana split with a smile of gratitude.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Nicky teased as she sat back down, Judas sitting up to allow her access, before leaning back against her side again. Nicky's fur tingled at the sensation. "Let's see what we've got then," she smiled as she began flicking through her digital library with the remote.

* * *

Fortunately for Judas, Nicky's personal tastes ran more towards action and mystery films than they did towards romance. First, they enjoyed a recent super-spy movie about an adolescent badger, who, with the help of his panther mentor and a few other loyal mammals, defeated the crazed villain who wanted to wipe out the majority of mammalkind. The storyline had been rather predictable and ridiculous, but both the rabbit and fox agreed that it was still vastly entertaining, despite some of the aggressively gory scenes. The movie had left both of them still feeling wide awake, so they decided to put on a third, Judas again deferring to the vixen's judgement.

This time, Nicky chose another alien themed movie, set in an Antarctic base. Although an older film, the suspenseful plot kept Nicky's attention glued to the screen as she tried to ascertain which of the scientists had been infected by the shape-changing creature. She'd become so enamoured with it, that it wasn't until the story reached its sudden, and unresolved conclusion that she realised Judas had fallen asleep.

She smiled down at the sleeping rabbit, a content smile on his short muzzle. He looked so peaceful, and for a second, Nicky let herself toy with the idea of just curling up next to him on the couch.

"Better not," she whispered, grinning as the buck's ears twitched slightly when she spoke. "Wouldn't want to risk hurting his leg any more." Instead, she carefully slipped her arms underneath him, and quietly heaved herself to her feet, Judas cradled gently in her arms. Despite being a smaller mammal, Judas was still heavy enough that when she slowly laid him down on her bed, she released a muffled grunt of effort. It wasn't much, but it was enough to rouse the sleeping rabbit.

"Hmm?" he hummed sleepily, peeking through his eyelashes. "Wha's go'in on?"

"Shhh," Nicky placed a paw on his chest and held him against the mattress as she covered him with the blankets. "You fell asleep during the movie," she answered softly.

"Oh," he yawned. "Did they get that thing in the end?" he asked, snuggling deeper into the comfortable bedding.

"Don't really know, Carrots," Nicky absently reached out a paw to stroke Judas' ears back, but stopped herself before he noticed the movement. "We can talk about it in the morning if you like," she stood straight.

"It's morning now," Judas smiled weakly, his eyes still mostly closed.

"Ha, later in the morning then, Fluff," Nicky shook her head in amusement. "Goodnight, Judas," she said softly, making for the door.

"Night, Nicole," Judas' voice stopped her at the threshold. "Sleep well," he sighed softly before laying back on the pillow once more. Nicky smiled as she closed the door on the already sleeping bunny.

"You too, Fluff. You too."

* * *

Judas flopped his head back against the armrest of the couch, filling the bright living room with a groan of irritation. He tossed his phone onto the glass coffee table, "Not a single one?" he muttered angrily. He glanced over to the screen, the apartment-finding app still open on the screen. He'd spent all morning searching agency websites, newspaper ads and mobile apps, for an apartment that he might be able to rent. Obviously, he was limited by his moderate income, and the rather sudden circumstances he found himself in. Unfortunately, that meant that landlords were more than capable of charging whatever they felt they could get away with, and in a city like Zootopia there was never any shortage of needy mammals who would pay whatever was asked for a place on demand. But that of course left Judas out in the cold. Figuratively speaking of course. He didn't imagine Nicky would ever throw him out.

' _Especially not after her little emotional display last night,'_ he smiled to himself, instinctively turning to look for the vixen, only belatedly remembering that she'd left for the shops over an hour ago. He was still somewhat confused by the whole outburst though. Nicky was a fox who usually played her cards close to her chest, and despite becoming close friends with her, he'd never seen her in such a state. Sure, she'd been upset and genuine when they'd made their apologies to each other under the bridge, and even back on the sky tram as well, but she hadn't been anywhere close to the sort of emotional breakdown he witnessed in the bathroom. She'd bolted out of the room, and he'd heard her muffled sobs from the adjacent room.

In fact, the more he thought about it, the less her story seemed to fit. _'Why would she start growling? That's not something you do when you're upset. Whining? Sure. But growling in such an aggressive way? It was almost like she was going savage!'_ Judas continued to think back through the previous day's events, critically analysing his friend's actions from their morning at the hospital, right up until he fell asleep during the movie.

Previously unimportant things began to stand out to him. Her anger at the mention of staying at a hotel, and her decision for him to stay at hers. Her silence in the car, followed by the mad rush to tidy her apartment? And what about the way she seemed so worried about him standing by himself in the shower?

Sure, most of that Judas felt he could put down to Nicky just being a good friend, but taken all together, and with some of the other peculiarities in her behaviour, Judas was starting to feel a little suspicious. Most friends, for example, wouldn't have let him fall asleep in their laps, and then carried him to their bed.

He was so occupied with his thoughts that the first few buzzes of his silenced phone went unnoticed. It wasn't until the lit screen caught his eye that his ears finally registered the muted sound, and he quickly scrambled to pick it up. He smiled at the familiar picture of his parents' eager faces before he tapped the accept button, the photo giving way to the real thing.

"Hey guys!" he greeted cheerfully. He might sometimes find it tedious that they wanted to speak to him every day, but other times, like over the past week, he found the extra attention comforting.

"Hey Jude-man!" his father smiled brightly, holding his wife close.

"How're you feeling today, Hon?" Bonnie asked with more concern evident in her voice.

"I'm _fine_ , Mom," Judas rolled his eyes playfully. His mother's face hardened and Judas sighed before rectifying his statement. "Okay, I guess I am a little sore still," he admitted.

"Just a little?" Bonnie prompted.

"Yeah, it's not too bad, so long as I take my medication, or don't put too much weight on it," he insisted. His ears twitched, hearing a key turn in the lock on the front door. Nicky must be back from her trip to the supermarket.

"Ah, leave the boy alone, Bon," Stu said gently, returning Judas' attention to the screen in his paws. He could still hear Nicky entering the apartment though, a small smile formed on his lips as he heard her struggling with the bags behind him.

"What I want to know is where you're staying, son?" Stu continued with a grin. "It sure looks a whole lot nicer than your old apartment!"

"Umm, yeah…" Judas trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. His parents had seemed alright with Nicky at the hospital, but he doubted they'd be quite as pleased to hear he was staying at the vixen's place. "My, ah, my old apartment wasn't available anymore."

"So, where are you now, then, Jude?" Bonnie asked. "Are you staying with someone who can keep an eye on you?"

"Yep!" Judas' ears fell flat as a familiar warmth pressed in along the top of his head. "He's staying with me," Nicky replied cheerfully. Judas could feel her broad smirk tugging at the fur on the top of his head.

Judas first thought was one of panic. Here he was, injured, in a fox's den with one of his species' natural enemies literally on top of him. He certainly wasn't fearful of his circumstances, but he knew his parents could often be over protective, and judge without thinking. He cringed against the expected outcry from his mother and father.

"Nicky!" Bonnie greeted. "How're you?" she smiled brightly at the vixen. Judas' mouth opened in confusion.

"Oh, I'm pretty good, thanks Bonnie!" Nicky replied cheerily. "How are things on the farm?"

"Can't complain," Stu answered. "It's been a bit hectic getting everything running smoothly again since we got back, but things are slowly returning to normal."

"And don't you worry, Missy," Bonnie winked at the vixen, "we haven't forgotten that shipment of blueberries for you!"

"My!" Nicky replied aghast, contrary to the broad smirk on her muzzle. "Mrs Hopps! It was never my intention to question—"

"Hang on!" Judas interrupted the conversation, still feeling quite confused. "You— you're okay with me being here? At Nicky's?"

"Of course!" Stuart enthused.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Bonnie asked in a puzzled voice.

"But… you guys used to be so, well… you know?" Judas could feel Nicky's head slowly lifting from his, and he suddenly found himself wishing he hadn't opened his mouth. He quickly reached to his right shoulder with his unoccupied left paw and found Nicky's, stopping it before she could move away. He just hoped the movement was out the view of his phone's camera.

"Oh, Judas," Bonnie said softly, her own ears, and those of her mate, had drooped at their son's words. "I thought you knew that we were over that."

"I thought _I_ was over that, Mom. I wasn't," Judas replied softly.

"No, you're right, Jude," Stu mumbled, clearly feeling ashamed, he refused to make proper eye contact with either the bunny or fox on the other end of the call. "We weren't really the most accepting mammals. Myself especially." He slowly looked back up to his son's face, and even through the video link, Judas could see the moisture gathering in his eyes. "But, I'm trying to change, son. I know I've got a long way to go, but I trust you, and I trust Nicky."

"Thanks, guys," Judas smiled gently, "that means a lot. To both of us."

"Oh reeeeaaaly?" Bonnie drew out, her frown rapidly flipping to a huge cheeky grin, her mate's rapidly following suit.

"Oh, look at the time!" Nicky suddenly interrupted before Judas could ask what his parents were getting at. "Judas needs to take his medication now! He'll call you again tomorrow! Bye!"

"Bye, Nicky," Bonnie grinned, her smile somehow even wider than before.

"See ya, Jude m'boy!" Stuart waved.

"Bye…guys," The call ended before Judas could finish. "What was that all about?" he rolled his eyes up to see the bottom of Nicky's muzzle again resting on top his head.

"Like I said, it's time for you to take your medication," Nicky answered, moving back to the kitchen again. For the second time in as many days, Judas found himself unexplainably chilly, and suppressed a shiver.

"What would you like for lunch, Carrots?"

"No thanks," Judas chirped back, "I had enough in the hospital to last me a while!" The fox turned back to Judas with a blank look of confusion, before she registered the pun.

"Ooh, _so_ clever," Nicky rolled her eyes, fighting the curl of her lips. "What'll it be then, Fluff? How does salad sound?"

"Pretty quiet, actually," Judas grinned wickedly. "I don't think salad usually makes too many noises."

"Hmmpf!" Nicky snorted, crossing her arms. "I see how it is then, Sly Bunny. Maybe I'll just cook up some cricket burgers if you're going to keep that up!"

"Salad sounds like a great idea, Nicky," Judas smiled warmly. "Thanks." Nicky grunted her acknowledgment, opening the fridge to begin her preparations.

Judas, meanwhile, returned his attention, and frustrations, to his phone. No matter where he looked, there wasn't a single apartment listed in Zootopia that he could both afford, and would be available within the next three months. In his desperation, he'd even begun searching through apps and websites that listed mammals looking for others to join them in sharing a place. But, out of the very few places that weren't far too large or small, or simply too far from the precinct, the profile of the other mammal involved gave him enough concerns to discount straight out of paw.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts, that he didn't even notice that Nicky had returned until she cleared her throat pointedly.

"I thought those things on your head were supposed to make it impossible for anyone to sneak up on you, Fluff," Nicky grinned, holding out a bowl in one paw, and his medication in the other.

"Ha ha," he chuckled sheepishly, laying his phone down and gratefully accepting the bowl and tossing the pills back. He sat up, letting Nicky slide back into the same spot she had sat in the previous evening. "Yeah, kinda off in my own little world there." The simple garden salad looked fantastic and Judas quickly dug in as he leant comfortably back against Nicky's side. "Mmmm! This's great, Nic! What dressing is this?"

"Oh, just a bit of lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Nothing much, but I'm glad you like it!" Nicky smiled. She took a forkful of her own salad and happily chewed in silence before she spoke up again. "So, what's got your ears in such a twist then, Carrots?"

"Hmm? Oh!" Judas quickly finished his own mouthful before answering. "I've just been trying to find an apartment again," he explained. "But everywhere's either too expensive, too far away or not available!" He slouched further into the vixen's side, enjoying the warmth she gave off, even through both of their sets of clothes.

"What's the rush?"

"Sorry?"

"I mean, why stress out about finding an apartment right away?" Nicky asked quietly, setting her half-finished salad on her lap. "You're still injured, and you need to be resting, not running around the city to look at places, or trying to move in straight away." She twisted her body so that she could look at Judas more directly. The rabbit had to twist around as well when his backrest disappeared.

"I don't want to be a burden to you, Nicky," Judas answered, his ears sitting at half-mast. "You've already done so much to help me recover, and you're still recovering too." Judas' eyes darted up to the vixen's bandaged ear, causing his gut to clench again in guilt. He suddenly lost his appetite and set his lunch down on the couch. "I've taken up too much of your time and space as it is anyway."

"Ha! Not like I have a whole lot else to be doing at the moment anyway," Nicky scoffed. "Remember? I said there's no way I'm going back to my old life, so until I work out what I'm going to do be doing from now on, I have plenty of time." She held up her paw as Judas opened his mouth to speak again, "And about the space? We'll work something out."

Judas stared quietly at Nicky for a moment, thinking over her suggestion. _'Admit it,'_ he said to himself, _'you want to stay here anyway. Why else was it so easy to find excuses out of those share-apartments?'_

"Are you sure?" he asked timidly. "You're really okay with me staying here for a little while?"

"No, Carrots. I just said all that to play with your head!" she replied sarcastically. "Of course I'm fine with it! You can stay as long as you need to."

"Thanks, Nicky," Judas smiled widely. "I appreciate it. I really do."

"Eh, that's what friends are for, right?" she replied nonchalantly returning to her lunch. Judas' felt his smile flatten by a few degrees.

"I guess so," he smiled, spearing a piece of cucumber with his fork. He contemplated the morsel for a moment before slowly nibbling at the edge. Finding that his appetite was returning, he picked up his bowl again and resumed his meal.

"What I still don't get," he said a few minutes later, nearing the end of his lunch, "is why my parents like you so much." Seeing Nicky's confused face as she scraped the last few pieces out of her own bowl, he continued; "I just thought they would be a whole lot more… well, you know, worried? Concerned? About me staying with you. Foxes aren't exactly their favourite species you know."

"I guess I'm just a likeable mammal," Nicky grinned in fake snobbery.

"Yes, I sure it's your _charming_ wit that they love," Judas rolled his eyes. "But, come to think of it, that first time in the hospital they already seemed to really like you."

"Oh. Well, we obviously met before then, while you were snoozing away." Nicky shifted back to her earlier position, and Judas gratefully settled back into her side. "I guess they just got to know me well enough then."

"And that's it?" Judas queried, irritated that he could no longer clearly see Nicky's face. He might not be nearly as good at reading mammals as her yet, but he was slowly becoming good at reading her. "Nothing else really happened then between you guys?"

"No! It was all smooth sailing!" she replied quickly. "Here, can I take your bowl?" She stood up and quickly began clearing away the few dishes they had about. Judas wasn't entirely sure, his ears had been down at the time, but it had seemed to him that Nicky's voice shifted to a slightly higher pitch when she replied.

"It there anything you wanted to do today, Fluff?" she called from the kitchen.

"No, I'm good," Judas replied. "Whatever you suggest.

"Well then, how about some cards?" Even from the couch, Judas could hear the note of finality in her voice.

"Yep, sounds fun!" he replied cheerfully. _'I'll find out what you're hiding Nicky,'_ he thought smugly while Nicky finished off at the sink, _'even if I have to pry it from you bit by bit.'_

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Firstly, kudos to whoever lists all three movies I've referenced here! And, they must be the right version of said movie.**

 **Secondly, for those of you who I know don't speak English as your first language, a D &M means a Deep and Meaningful conversation, one where those involved feel comfortable sharing their true feelings and emotions. Sort of like what Judas and Nicky had in the kitchen, although, Nicky still seems to be holding a few things back from Judas, and he doesn't yet seem to be completely honest with himself either...**

 **Finally, for the last few chapters, I have been doing my best to maintain a fortnightly update schedule at least, but even with that, you might have noticed that this one was a bit late. Unfortunately, the next few weeks look like they are going to be even more insane than usual with Uni work and assignments, so I regret to say that you may be forced to wait even longer for the next installment. I'll try to get the next chapter written as soon as I can, but I can't promise anything.**

 **Hopefully I'll be 'seeing' you all again sooner than I think!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the wait between updates! Things have been a little intense over the past few weeks, and before I knew it a month had passed! Unfortunately, you'll probably have to wait up to another month for the next chapter, because things are looking even more intense over the next few weeks before exams :(**

 **Anyway, writing fluff is probably _not_ my strongest suit, and there's at least a moderate amount of that in this chapter, so I hope I don't loose you along the way! But here we go!**

* * *

 _Chapter 25: This calls for a toast!_

"Uno!"

"Again? Seriously?"

"What can I say, Nicky?" Judas smirked as Nicky scanned through the dozen cards in her paw, trying to decide on which might be her best course of action. "I've had a lot of practice! When you have as many brothers and sisters as me, you learn to get pretty good at these sorts of games."

"Yes, I'm sure you do," Nicky replied distractedly. The current colour on the pile was green, a colour that Judas had been playing for the last few cards. _'So, he's probably out of green, right?'_

"The 'Hopps Horde' must be a nightmare at card and board game tournaments," she said, playing for time. _'But what if he still does have a green card left? If I don't change the colour, I'd practically be giving him the game!'_

"Oh, we have our own tournaments," Judas replied, shifting his leg on Nicky's lap and breaking her concentration just as she started to reach for the wild card in her paw. _'Damn him!'_ she thought, shooting the rabbit at the other end of the couch a dirty glare. He returned the look with one of pure, and phoney, innocence.

Nicky sulkily returned her attention to her own cards again, spotting a new alternative. _'Maybe, if I play my red nine on top of the green nine, he'll have to pick up. Then I can play my red skip and then draw two cards against him.'_ Satisfied with her plan, she quickly enacted it, gracing Judas with a wicked grin as she placed her card onto the messy pile on the space between them on the couch.

"Your turn."

"The thing about those tournaments," Judas continued unperturbed as he reached towards the pick-up pile, much to the vixen's delight, "is that they always have winners." He snapped his fingers loudly just as they hovered over the pile of fresh cards. Nicky's eyes darted to his face in fear, forgetting now the paw they had been so greedily following. A falsely shocked expression filled Judas' face as he held up his remaining card in front of himself, as if noticing it for the first time. A wide grin cracked his face as he _slowly_ began to lower his final card onto the discard pile. Nicky's eyes followed the card as it slowly spelled out her imminent doom.

"Draw four, Nicky."

"Oh, come _on_!"

"Like I said, all those tournaments had winners."

"Let me guess," Nicky grumped, gathering all the cards into her paws and beginning to shuffle them once more. "You were one of those winners."

"Uno champion. Seven years running," he gloated, leaning back against the armrest.

"I wish I had known that _before_ I embarrassed myself by losing ten games out of twelve!"

"And where would be the fun in that?"

"Hmmpf!" Nicky snorted, carefully sliding Judas' injured leg off her lap onto the couch as she stood up. She had to fight the urge to stroke her fingers through the short, soft fur of his leg, and felt her stomach clench momentarily as she forced herself to break contact before he noticed her strange behaviour.

"Don't be silly, Nicky!" Judas scolded playfully. "You absolutely schooled me at poker yesterday, and whooped my tail in Monopoly the day before!"

"Ah, but you destroyed me in Risk after Monopoly, and nobody, I mean _nobody_ , could ever hope to beat you in Snap! Besides," Nicky added with a genuine smile, "I need to go out for a bit."

"Go out! Where? Why?" Judas demanded, his ears falling flat against his head at the news.

"I have an appointment, Fluff."

"It-it's not about your ear, is it?" Judas asked timidly, his eyes dropping away from his friend's. Nicky rolled her eyes and released an exasperated sigh.

She had been able to remove the bandage covering her ear just two days previously, but whenever the subject had come up, or if Judas noticed her fiddling with the jagged edge, he quickly became depressed and bitter about himself. It had taken her much of the first afternoon after she had removed it to even get him to make eye contact with her without breaking into tears.

Privately, Nicky was rather saddened by the damage to her ear. She had always been proud of her appearance, although she didn't believe she was overly vain. But now, her left ear carried a jagged outer edge, and was slightly shorter than its twin, marring her carefully cultivated appearance. She certainly didn't blame Judas for the loss. He wasn't in control of himself when he attacked her, and he had taken the pellet out of the hope that he might be able to avoid either of them being injured further. Even though he had been wrong, Nicky still felt a warm fuzziness in her chest whenever she thought back to the way he had sprung in front of her to take the pellet, despite already having been shot. Still, it would take some time for them both to get used to her new look.

"For the last time, Carrots," Nicky huffed, "my ear is _fine_! Does it look a bit worse for wear? Yes, I guess it does, but I've seen mammals with far worse looking piercings that they've put in _intentionally_."

"But, if it's not for your ear then, what is it for? It's getting a bit late!"

"Carrots. It's half past three!" Nicky crossed her arms and fixed the rabbit with an amused smile.

"It'll be late by the time you get back!" Judas insisted earnestly. "It's still not safe out after dark, and winter's coming quickly. It'll be dark in a few hours!"

"Don't worry, Carrots. The Feds are still running routine patrols, and the curfew was lifted days ago."

"But…but…" his shoulders sagged further. "Do you have to go out?" Judas turned his wide eyes towards the vixen again, catching her breath in her throat at the look of pure sadness glistening in them. He pushed out his lower lip which started to tremble ever so slightly. _'Watch it, Nicky,'_ she warned herself as she realised what the rabbit was trying to do. She shored up her mental defences against Judas' artificial cuteness. _'If you're not careful he might succeed!'_

"You've been coming and going every day!" Judas whined when his tactic didn't succeed immediately. "I don't like the idea of you being out there on your own! Not at the moment at least. There's still a lot of angry mammals about!"

"Aww, my bunny wants to keep me safe!" Nicky mocked playfully, deciding to go on the offensive. _'And to test the waters a little,'_ a small part of her mind quipped. "Oh, isn't that sweet of you!"

"You bet I want to keep you safe!" Judas replied sharply, abandoning his sad-bunny act. "You're my best friend!"

"Well, I promise you, I'll be plenty safe where I'm going," Nicky winked at Judas, as she finally moved from where she'd been standing beside the couch.

"And just where _are_ you going?" Judas asked again, following Nicky with his eyes as she collected her jacket and pawbag from the wall hooks near the door.

"Nowhere you need to worry about!" Nicky chirped gleefully, opening the door to leave. "Oh, and I'll be back in time to get dinner ready, so just _relax_!" With that, Nicole Wilde slipped out of the apartment, leaving Judas fuming by himself.

* * *

"Evening, Carol!"

"Nicky?" the dingo spun around sharply at the vixen's surprisingly cheerful tone. "You sound awfully chipper tonight. What's goin' on?" she asked as she went back to collecting her things from her desk.

"Oh, nothing too much," Nicky pranced up to the desk. "I just got some great news, that's all."

"That's _all_ , is it?" Carol asked with a raised eyebrow, picking up her pawbag from the office desk. "Care to elaborate?"

"Not yet," Nicky replied glibly. "But suffice it to say, my life's about to take a turn for the better."

"Really?" Carol exited the small sealed-off room, locking it behind her. "It wouldn't have anything to do with that bunny of yours up in your apartment, would it?"

"Judas?" Nicky's smile took on a cheekier character. "Maybe. Maybe not. You'll just have to wait and see, won't you!" Nicky quickly threw her arms around the larger canine for a brief hug. "Speaking of that little ball of fluff, I've got to get back home and make sure he hasn't managed to get himself in any more trouble while I've been gone. See you later, Carol!" And with that, Nicky skipped off towards the elevator, leaving a bewildered dingo in her wake.

"Well, I never…" Carol muttered under her breath as she watched the vixen leave. She'd known Nicky for years, and had never seen her half as happy as she seemed now. "Maybe that rabbit isn't a complete jerk after all," she admitted to herself, turning down the corridor to her own apartment on the ground floor. A shard of guilt struck her gut as she remembered her harsh judgement of the officer when he had come past trying to apologise to the vixen. If that rabbit really was the reason that Nicky was so happy, she certainly didn't ever want Nicky to know that she might have been part of the reason they were apart for so long. A black cloud of regret settled over the canine as she slipped into her dark apartment.

* * *

When the elevator doors opened on her floor, Nicky stepped out lightly, holding herself back from racing towards her apartment door. It wouldn't do for Judas and his over-sized ears to pick up how excited she was to return home. Not yet at least.

But as she approached her home, her nose began to twitch, catching a delicious scent that was slowly growing stronger with each step. It wasn't entirely unusual to walk past wonderful dinner smells wafting from some of her neighbour's homes, but to come home to the smell of dinner being cooked in her own? That was unheard of. And now that she had reached her door, there was no question at all where the warm scent was coming from.

"Judas?" she asked in confusion as she opened the door. "What's going on?"

"Nicky! You're home!" Judas replied joyfully. The rabbit was hobbling around Nicky's small wooden dining table, laying out plates and cutlery. A pair of wineglasses sat empty, one at the top of each place setting, and a large, unopened, bottle of red wine sat between them. A fresh wave of scent, laden with tomato, basil, garlic, and a hint of something more, _substantial_ , washed over the stunned fox. She turned her head to look into the kitchen. Two frypans sat on the stovetop, both filled with similar-looking red sauce, bubbling away on a low heat.

Without a further word, Nicky slowly walked around the breakfast bar to enter the kitchen. She bent over and inhaled deeply from one of the pans, the rich, and slightly spicy, scent of chicken bolognaise sauce welcoming her. Carefully, she dipped a claw into the sauce, and then slipped the appendage into her mouth, the strong, full-bodied taste rounding out the entire olfactory experience until it almost felt like she was swimming in the thick sauce.

It brought back so many memories of hot meals and warm company. Memories of three foxes sitting closely around a table together, enjoying the little vixen's favourite meal, spaghetti with chicken bolognaise sauce.

"Nicky?" Judas piped up timidly. "I didn't do something wrong, did I?"

"Wrong?" she echoed quietly. "No, of course not. It smells perfect, Carrots." She turned to face the grey rabbit with a warm smile. But as soon as her eyes met those of the rabbit, her smile flipped rapidly into a scowl.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?!" she demanded hotly. "You should be resting! I told you I'd take care of dinner when I got back!"

"Nicky, I'm fine! I—" Judas spluttered, shocked at the sudden outburst from the fox.

"But, noooo!" she cut in, ignoring Judas' growing glare. "I come home and find that you've been running around all afternoon! Do you know how long that could set your recovery back? Huh?"

"I _haven't_ been running around all afternoon!" Judas shot back. "I had help getting all this ready! Besides," he softened his tone slightly, stepping carefully into the kitchen, "my physio told me just two days ago that I could start weight bearing on my leg if I felt up to it!"

"You had help?" Nicky asked in confusion, her nose beginning to twitch as she picked up on a subtler scent she'd missed under the overwhelming smell of dinner. She wasn't sure whose it was, but it smelled vaguely familiar.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did! I called Sarah Wolford and asked her to pick up a few things to help me make you a nice meal," Judas explained. "You've done so much to look after me, that I felt like I had to do something to help you out. And to show you how much I appreciate it all."

"You really didn't have to, Carrots," Nicky replied gently, softening her expression.

"I know. But I wanted to."

"Then, thank you, Fluff," Nicky smiled warmly down at the rabbit in front of her, laying a paw tenderly on his shoulder. Judas returned her smile, and Nicky felt a warmth spreading through her chest again. This was the bunny that had shaken up her life so much in the past few months, and let her feel things again that she hadn't let herself feel in years. Sure, not all those feelings were positive, but to feel the hurt she had after the conference meant that she must have felt more strongly about Judas back then than she had realised. And now? Now she was feeling love again for the first time in over a decade, and there was no way she intended to let that slip through her paws.

"Erh-hem," Judas cleared his throat gently, a nervous smile on his muzzle. Nicky started, realising that she had spaced out for a moment, and stepped back a little to give the buck some room. Interestingly, she noticed a brief flicker of disappointment cross his face as she did so. _'Well now,'_ she smirked to herself, _'what have we here?'_

"I, um, Sarah said I should put the pasta on when you got back?" Judas mumbled, the inside of his ears turning a darker shade of pink.

"That's probably a good idea, Carrots," Nicky agreed casually.

"Well, um… you see, ah…"

"C'mon, Carrots. Spit it out!" Nicky teased.

"Could you help me?" Judas asked quietly, his ears drooping low in embarrassment. "I've never cooked pasta before, and I don't want to mess it up."

Nicky chuckled lightly, remembering their discussions in the hospital about his total lack of cooking experience. "Of course I'll help you, Fluff," she smiled. "I wouldn't want you to burn the spaghetti now!" she turned back to the stove, turning a dial to begin heating the water.

"No. I doubt that would taste very good," Judas replied seriously, prompting an explosive laugh from the vixen. "What?" he demanded. "What's so funny?"

"Oh! Ha ha!" Nicky gasped. "Wow! Okay, this might be harder than I expected!"

"What? What's going to be harder than you expected?" Nicky refused to answer the confused rabbit, instead passing him the wooden spoon she'd picked up.

"Lesson number one," she began in a cheery tone. "How to cook the Perfect Pasta! Step one; add a generous dash of salt to a pot of water, and bring to the boil."

"Salt?" Judas raised his eyebrow at the vixen.

"Just trust me, Carrots," Nicky insisted with a smile, as she picked another spoon out of the draw and began stirring the simmering bolognaise.

* * *

Working together, it didn't take long before the pasta was cooked to Nicky's satisfaction, and Judas' excitement, and the pair could finally enjoy the fruit of their labour. Judas insisted on helping Nicky into her seat, and pouring them both a glass of wine before he sat himself down opposite the vixen. The gesture, although unnecessary, brought a fresh smile to Nicky's face. Judas certainly wasn't making things easy for her tonight.

"Bon appetite," Judas proclaimed, raising his wineglass in a salute.

"Bon appetite," Nicky replied in kind, before they both sipped their drinks. "Mmmm! That's really nice!" she exclaimed, going back for second, longer sip of her wine.

"Mmm hmm," Judas agreed, picking up the wolf-sized bottle to examine the label more closely. "Remind me to thank Sarah properly next time we see her."

"She has good taste," Nicky smiled, picking up her cutlery to begin on her meal. The steam rising from the mound of pasta and meat sauce was nearly overwhelming her nose, and had set her mouth watering greedily. There had been far too little meat in her diet over the past week, as she had been trying to cater more towards Judas' needs than her own, and the absence was making itself known in an almost uncontrollable craving. Although she could survive without meat for quite some time, indefinitely with the right protein-rich supplements, nothing ever came quite close to the satisfaction of a good chicken steak, or fillet of fish in her opinion.

Judas set the bottle down again, his brow furrowed slightly, before turning to his own meat-free pasta and sauce.

"What's wrong," Nicky asked between mouthfuls, fighting the temptation to just shovel the food into her mouth as fast as she could. Not only did Sarah have good taste in wine, it seemed she was an excellent cook as well.

"It's just," Judas sighed, "well, she let me pay for everything else, but she insisted that the wine was a gift. I'm starting to think that it must have been a rather expensive one."

"Hmm," Nicky grunted through a full mouth, reaching for the bottle. "You're right," she confirmed after swallowing. "This certainly looks like it must have cost a pretty penny."

"That's what I was worried about," Judas mumbled dejectedly, pushing at his food with his fork. He still hadn't started on his meal, Nicky noticed, while she was nearly halfway through her own plate. Forcibly, she slowed her pace, picking up her glass again for another sip of the excellent wine. Her glass was also beginning to empty at an alarming rate, she realised belatedly.

"And what's so wrong about that?" Nicky asked. "From what she said when she visited us in hospital, you probably saved her and her children from being severely beaten, if not killed! Don't begrudge her the right to thank you for that."

"But, she already did thank me!" Judas insisted, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I was only doing what any decent mammal would."

"Judas," Nicky said softly, catching the rabbit's eyes, "did you see any other mammals doing what you did?"

"No," he admitted quietly. "But I'm sure they would have if –"

"Ah, ah!" Nicky stopped him, leaning forwards and raising a finger. "There were _plenty_ of other mammals around, and not a single one of them stepped forward to do what you did. So, either, there are very few 'decent' mammals out there, or what you did was something extraordinary." Judas still didn't look entirely convinced, but finally bent to his own meal, tasting the pasta and sauce together for the first time, promptly forgetting his concern over the price of the bottle.

"Oh, _wow_!" he exclaimed in surprise, the food somewhat muffling his words. Grimacing nervously at Nicky, he swallowed before continuing, "This has got to be the best pasta and sauce I've ever eaten!"

"Really?" Nicky smirked at the rabbit who was too busy filling his mouth again to notice the teasing tone in her voice. "Even better than your mother's?" Judas nodded vigorously, too occupied with his dinner to respond verbally.

"Uh, ah!" Nicky admonished again, this time with a smile. "Lesson number two. Nothing ever tastes better than your mother's cooking!" She leant back comfortably in her chair, again sipping on her wine. Judas looked up sheepishly from plate. "That is, of course, unless…" she added, almost as an afterthought, "the cook happens to be a very _special_ mammal. You know, like a mate…or a mammal you hope might one day be your mate…" she intentionally trailed off slowly, staring off into the air above the table. She had Judas' full attention now, although she didn't let him see that she knew it. The poor bunny had almost forgotten his meal over the course of her short 'lesson' but Nicky could still see him swallowing nervously as she spoke.

"Anyway," she shook her head, feigning a return to reality, "neither of those apply to Sarah, I would imagine?" Judas shook his head sharply in confirmation. "Good! So, how _does_ it taste then, Carrots?" she asked pointedly, picking up her fork again. Judas was sufficiently caught up now that she felt she could return to her meal with the gusto it deserved.

"Almost as good as Mom's?" Judas provided meekly, a small grin tugging at his mouth as he spoke.

"Gee, you really are a terrible liar, aren't you!" Nicky grinned back. "We'll have to work on that." Judas snorted derisively in response, opting to focus on his food once more. They both continued to eat in relative silence for the next few minutes, only the soft sounds of eating, the sharp clink of cutlery against the plates and the contented sigh following a sip of wine pervaded the room.

But silence didn't stop the two from communicating with each other.

Nicky looked up from her meal with another smile of thanks to the rabbit who had been so thoughtful as to organise it, even if he hadn't cooked it all himself. Judas returned with a shallow nod, and a brief grin, in acknowledgment.

Then, with a slight raise of his right eyebrow, and a subtle inclination of his head, he asked if Nicky would like another glass of wine, the last of her current one disappearing down her throat at that very moment. A guilty smile and a nod from the vixen, and Judas put down his cutlery, and topped up both. Nicky raised her now full glass and again saluted Judas in thanks. He winked back reflexively, before suddenly fixing his eyes back on his food, embarrassment clear in the blush showing in his ears.

Nicky grinned to herself. _'Time to try something a little more,'_ she decided. Scraping together the last few scraps on her plate and spooning them into her mouth, Nicky picked up her glass again and leant back comfortably in her chair. Innocently, she stretched her legs out underneath the table until her foot pads brushed against Judas' right leg, avoiding his wounded one.

Judas stiffened momentarily, the blush in his ears deepening slightly as he tried to decide his next move. Nicky hid her smile as she read his face. Should he pretend he didn't feel anything? Move his own leg away? Or should he kickback playfully? His hesitation lasted only a second or two, before a cheeky grin crossed his muzzle.

Nicky felt his foot begin to move away from hers, and she had to suppress a frown. But before she could begin to retract her own leg, she felt Judas' reaching back again, his soft, velvety paw lining up flush with her own. This time it wasn't a frown that Nicky had to suppress. She took a shaky drink from her wineglass to disguise the involuntary sigh at the contact. Pulling her glass away from her mouth again, she leant forwards with a smirk and opened her mouth to speak. That's when Judas moved again.

"Yahh!" Nicky screamed as Judas' toes traced a quick swipe down her paw pad, creating one of the most violently ticklish sensations the fox had ever felt. Her leg shot upwards in reflex, meeting the underside of the wooden table with a loud _"Thump!"_ , sending the cutlery jumping.

Even Judas seemed somewhat surprised at the violence of her reaction, his eyes going wide before the inevitable shout of glee erupted from the rabbit. "Oh! Ha-hah! Nicky, you're _ticklish_!"

"Damn it, Carrots!" Nicky gasped, her paw over her pounding heart. She glanced down at herself, glad to see that she hadn't spilt any of the wine on herself, or on the carpet. Although, that was probably more due to her glass being almost empty again than to anything else. "Don't _do_ that!"

"You started it," Judas grinned back coolly, watching while Nicky downed the rest of her glass, and reached for the bottle again. He pushed his own glass towards her for another refill.

"I barely touched you, Fluff!" Nicky retorted, still catching her breath, ignoring Judas' glass and setting the bottle upright out of his reach.

"C'mon, Nicky," Judas rolled his eyes, "I know what you were trying to do!" He glanced back to his glass pointedly in case Nicky had missed the not-so-subtle hint earlier. She continued to ignore it.

"Oh really?" Nicky leant in, a serious expression on her face. "And what exactly _was_ I trying to do?"

"Y-you were trying to get me all flustered! R-right?" Judas suddenly sounded much less sure of himself.

"Was that what I was trying to do, was it, Carrots?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the squirming rabbit.

"I-uh…maybe? At least…that's what I thought? Weren't you?"

"Did it work?"

"I…huh? W-what?" Judas stammered, not sure where to look.

"I asked if it worked?" Nicky repeated, her famous smirk now tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Arrggh! Nickkkyyy!" Judas whined, pulling his ears over his face. "I hate you."

"Do you really, now?" Nicky shot back, her smirk still plastered on her face.

"No," Judas huffed. "Of course not."

"I thought not," Nicky replied, picking up the wine bottle again, and finally topping up Judas' glass, winning her a bright smile from the rabbit, who immediately took a long sip of the dark liquid. "Don't get too comfortable," Nicky warned as she stood up, "it's time to do the dishes."

"But, I'm injured!" Judas protested with a smile.

"I thought weight bearing was good for it now?"

"Uggh! Fine," Judas rolled his eyes playfully, standing up and gathering his plate and cutlery together.

"There's a good bunny," Nicky teased, taking her own dirty dishes into the kitchen and starting the sink. "Now, grab a tea-towel."

* * *

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it, Carrots?"

"No," Judas sighed dramatically, flopping down on the couch once more. He lifted his left leg gingerly up onto the seat with another sigh. "I guess it wasn't. Although, it might have been easier if I wasn't so full from dinner; I feel like I'm about to explode!"

"Well, in that case, I guess you don't want any more wine?" Nicky asked hopefully, it really was a good brand, she thought, committing the label to memory. She placed the half-full bottle down on the coffee table and motioned for Judas to move his leg so she could join him on the couch.

"In your dreams!" he scoffed, reaching to take his empty glass from her as she took her seat. He returned his leg to its customary position on her lap, while she reached for the bottle again to fill them both up. "What're we watching tonight?" he asked, picking up the remote.

"We'll get to that shortly," Nicky answered, "but first I've got something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"When you were in the hospital," Nicky began solemnly, "lying there unconscious, I had a lot of time to think." She twirled the stem of her glass about in her paws for a moment, trying to best think about how to continue. Judas settled in against the side of the couch and faced her expectantly.

"I thought back on the case, what had happened to bring us both to that white, sterile little room. I thought about us, and how we ended up working together, and even friends, when we started out as, well, the way we did." She paused again to take another drink, noticing that Judas was watching her in rapt attention. Her heart was beating a little faster than usual, and a part of her wondered if Judas might be able to hear the difference.

"Eventually, I started to ask myself why _I_ was there. What was _my_ motivation for going on that mad crusade with you. Why was _I_ willing to throw myself into danger alongside you for mammals I'd never met, and likely never would."

"To be honest," Judas said quietly as Nicky paused again, "I have wondered the same thing now and then. It really wasn't fair, or right, of me to ask you to join me again. Not after what we'd already been through the first time. Why did you agree to come along?"

"You," Nicky stated simply.

"Me?" Judas whispered, his ears falling backwards along his head.

"It's funny really. I didn't even realise it myself until Chief Bogo came in the second day you were in your coma." Judas looked at Nicky in greater confusion. "He'd come in to check on your condition," Nicky continued to explain, "and to let me know that all the best chemists in Zootopia were working on a cure. But, before he left, he gave me something." Nicky dug into her pocket and pulled out a creased, grubby, yellow square of paper. Carefully, she unfolded it, and passed it over to Judas. Inside was the information she had filled out at the beginning of the press conference over a month ago for an application to the ZPA. Judas mouth dropped as he read the page in front of him.

"They found it in your pocket after surgery," Nicky explained to the stunned rabbit.

"I-I thought I'd lost this!" Judas croaked, his eyes misting over.

"Well, Bogo saw it, and he asked me if I had meant it when I filled it in. I had," she assured Judas. "But it wasn't until he asked _why_ I had filled it in, that I finally understood why. It was because of you."

"Me?" Judas asked again, tearing his eyes away from the page. "Why me?"

"Because, Judas," Nicky smiled softly at the rabbit, "you inspire me." Judas whimpered softly, struggling to hold back tears. "You reminded me of who I once was, and challenged me to rise above who I have been for so long. You inspired me to be better."

"But, Nicky," Judas interjected, "you did all that on your own! That wasn't me!"

"Trust me when I say it was, Carrots," Nicky insisted. "Anyway," she continued before Judas could protest further, "once I explained all that to the Chief, he grunted in his usual encouraging manner, and, well, look closer at the bottom of that page, Fluff." Judas did as he was told, and a moment later, a gasp of shock escaped his lips. At the bottom of the page, Chief Adrian Bogo had scribbled his signature next to the printed words, 'Conditionally Approved'.

"That's where I was today, Carrots," Nicky continued softly. "I had a meeting with Bogo and the ZPA recruiter for the city." She reached into her pocket again, and pulled out another, cleaner, sheet of paper. She unfolded it and passed it to the stunned rabbit. "Officer Hopps, you are now looking at the newest cadet for the Zootopian Police Academy," Nicky smiled widely as Judas read the page.

"No."

"Sorry?" Nicky asked, deflating at the unexpected response from her friend.

"This can't be real," Judas said slowly, his voice breaking. "I must be dreaming!"

"Not a dream, Fluff," Nicky chirped, relaxing again. "See?" she flicked his toe, startling him out of his trance.

"Nicky! This is fantastic!" Judas suddenly erupted with the brightest smile Nicky had ever seen, she swore it could probably light up an entire city block if the power ever went out. "This is amazing! Spectacular! Fantastic!"

"You already said that one, Carrots," Nicky quipped.

"That's because it is! Because _you_ are, you fantastic fox, you!" Judas was still grinning from ear to ear. "I say, this calls for a toast!" he reached over to the table for the bottle and promptly refilled his glass, having already emptied it again. He held up the bottle for Nicky. She shrugged, and held out her empty glass for Judas to refill. The bottle was starting to look depressingly empty, and that was saying something for the medium-mammal bottle in the paws of the two smaller mammals.

"To Nicole Wilde," Judas declared brightly, raising his glass towards the vixen. "The first fox-cop, and the most _fantastic_ friend I could ever wish for!"

"And to you, Judas," Nicky replied, raising her own glass with a smirk, "without whom, I'd still be out peddling pawpsicles." They nodded to each other and then drank from their glasses simultaneously.

"So," Judas began again, resting his glass in his lap, "when do you start?"

"Well, the next intake period's not for almost another month, so I think I've got time to get prepared before then," she answered matter-of-factly. Judas laughed. "Hey! What's so funny about that?" Nicky asked, somewhat indignant at his response.

"Oh, nothing!" Judas' eyes twinkled as he chuckled. "Just that I spent several _years_ preparing for the Academy, and I _still_ wasn't ready!"

"Yeah? Well, I've got an advantage you never had, Cottontail!" Nicky poked her tongue out at the rabbit.

"Oh, really? And what might that be, Floofy-tail?"

"Floofy-tail?!" Nicky giggled violently, careful not to spill her drink. "Really, Carrots? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Oh, sush!" Judas grinned. "C'mon, what's your advantage, then?"

"I've got inside information," she winked at Judas, who rolled his eyes in response.

"The only thing tha's gonna really help you is training," Judas grinned evilly. "Lots an' lots of training! Hey! What are _you_ laughing about?" he demanded as Nicky began cackling madly.

"Your teeth!" she gasped, pointing towards his face, although the rabbit's teeth had now disappeared behind a pout.

"What about them?" he asked self-consciously.

"They were poking out so _cutely_ when you smiled like that!" Nicky explained, managing to catch her breath. "Your great big buck-teeth were just sticking out like this!" She pulled a face, trying to imitate the rabbit by wrapping her lips around her front few teeth, but kept failing every time she got close when she would start giggling again. At first, Judas tried his best to look offended, but by the vixen's second failed attempt, his face cracked and he erupted into laughter alongside her.

"No, you goof-ball!" he chuckled. "Like this!" He pulled an animatedly evil expression, furrowing his brow deeply whilst jutting his top jaw out as far as he could, making his teeth stand out even more than before. Nicky began howling with laughter, nearly spilling her wine again, and Judas quickly joined in, unwilling to even try to hold back the mirth.

"Floof-ball, you mean?" Nicky chuckled, wiping away a tear from her eye as they both slowly calmed down again.

"Hmm?" Judas grunted, downing the remainder of his glass.

"You called me a goof-ball," Nicky grinned, "but it should be Floof-ball! After all, you're Fluff-butt!" They both broke into laughter again at that, and Nicky drained the remainder of her own glass, trying to regain her breath. She picked up the bottle from the coffee table with a drawn-out sigh. "Looks like the wine's almost run out, Fluff-butt!"

"Well, Floof-ball," Judas grinned stupidly, one of his ears drooping lazily over his face, "maybe we'd better chase it down before it manages to run away!"

"Indeed!" Nicky exclaimed gleefully. "The sooner I start my training the better, right?" Judas nodded enthusiastically, holding out his glass for a final top-up. But Nicky had other ideas, and put the bottle to her lips, tilting it up to take a deep draught.

"Hey!" Judas protested hotly. "What about me?"

"Oh, did you want some?" Nicky smirked, binging the bottle down again. There was still a few mouthfuls left at the bottom.

"Yes!" Judas pouted, reaching out for the bottle. Nicky hugged it to herself greedily, then, with a playful smirk at the rabbit, she ran her tongue around the mouth of the bottle, and then down into the opening.

"Here you go!" She chirped, holding out the bottle to the shocked rabbit. She didn't expect he would actually take the bottle, and was already withdrawing her arm victoriously when Judas' paws shot out and grabbed the large bottle from her. Judas hesitated just a moment, his nose twitching from side to side, before he lifted the bottle to his own lips and upended it. Nicky only watched on in astonishment as his Adam's apple bounced up and down with every swallow. She suddenly shook herself back to her senses.

"Hey!" she demanded, unintentionally mimicking Judas' earlier reaction. Judas lowered the bottle with a satisfied smile. He held the bottle up to the light, showing just a trickle of the precious wine remaining.

"Did you want some?" he offered smugly, holding out the bottle. Nicky snatched it indignantly. She squinted down through the neck, hoping that the glass had somehow made it look like there was less wine remaining than there actually was. She was sorely disappointed. With a grumble of dissatisfaction, she raised the bottle to her lips again, and drained the remaining drops. She did, however, feel a little more satisfied as she tasted the faint addition to the flavour of the wine on the mouth of the bottle. She hid a grin as she wiped her lips, _'And now that we've practically kissed…'_ she thought wistfully.

She leaned over again, to return the bottle back to the coffee table, but was forced to steady herself as the room seemed to sway with the sudden motion.

"Woah there! Maybe I'd better put all this away properly," she suggested with a light giggle. She carefully slid Judas' leg off her lap, allowing her claws to drag softly through the short fur. Judas sighed pleasantly at the touch and smiled at the vixen. That in itself should have raised alarm bells, Nicky realised belatedly as she slowly gained her feet, steadying herself against the armrest of the couch. _'Perhaps we might have had just a wee bit too much to drink.'_

Picking up the pair of glasses in one paw, and still holding the empty bottle in the other, Nicky began to weave her way back towards the kitchen. That she had to carefully consider every movement and step she took, was an immense source of humour to her, and she couldn't stop sniggering as the room swam at the edges of her vision.

"What're you giggling about _this_ time, Floofy?" Judas chuckled as Nicky triumphantly entered the kitchen without falling over.

"I just, he he! Find it funny that, ha ha!" she tried to explain through her giggles. "That I got drunk on the _day_ that I got accepted into the _Police_ Academy! He he—kkchrnch!" Nicky's laughs suddenly broke off in a loud snort, startling both mammals. Her paw shot to cover her mouth in a moment of silent shock and embarrassment. A moment that lasted only a matter of seconds before both of them devolved into fits of hysterical howling and cackling.

"Oh, my goodness, Nicky!" Judas gasped. "You're one of _those_ girls? A snort-laugher! Ha-hah! That's hilarious!"

"Shut up!" Nicky shot back with a shy laugh, still covering her face with her paw. She'd placed the glasses and bottles on the sink and was making her way back to the living area, feeling a little bit more confident on her feet now that she was up.

Judas chuckled in response until he was cut off by an unexpected yawn, ending in a similarly embarrassing "eep".

"Aww," Nicky crooned down at the rabbit spread out on the seat, "is my little bunny-boy tired, is he?"

"Shut up," Judas quipped back with a grin, before he promptly yawned widely again. Nicky giggled again as she watched his tongue curl up against his back teeth. The picture seemed way to cute too her.

"I think somebunny needs some sleep," she teased lightly.

"Uh-ha," Judas nodded, trying to muffle the third in his trifecta of yawns. "I think the wine might've had something to do with that," he grinned sheepishly. He swivelled about in his seat to get up, but had to steady himself against the armrest when the room didn't stop spinning when he did.

"You goin to be okay there, Fluff?" Nicky asked, concern leaking into her voice.

"Yeah, jus gimme a moment." When he deemed the spinning had slowed down as much as it would, Judas took a deep breath and stood up. He swayed precariously from side to side, before his left leg suddenly gave way, and he crashed down to the floor, barely catching himself on the couch to prevent hurting himself.

"Carrots!" Nicky shouted, dashing around the back of the seat as fast as she could to reach the fallen rabbit. "Are you alright?! What happened? Where are you hurt?" She quickly laid the buck out on the floor as soon as she reached him and began running her paws gently over his leg, probing for any sign of injury.

"Stop, Nicky!" Judas protested, ineffectually swiping at her paws. "I'm fine! My leg just went to sleep, that's all!"

"But, you might've re-injured it!" Nicky insisted, still probing his leg with her paws, despite the fact that the bandage had been removed earlier in the week and she could clearly see that there was no fresh blood or discolouration on the healing wound.

"Nicky!" Judas snapped, finally breaking through to the panicked vixen. "It's fine!"

"A-are you sure?" she asked quietly, fear and worry still plain on her face. Judas gingerly sat up, and raised a paw to her cheek in an effort to comfort her. Nicky instinctively leaned into the touch, relishing in the contact.

"Yes, Nicole," Judas smiled warmly, sliding his paw slowly down her muzzle, "I'm sure." Nicky barely stifled a whimper as his paw left her face entirely. "But," Judas added clearing his throat self-consciously, "I, uh, might need help getting to bed?"

"Of course, Fluff-butt!" Nicky answered with a grin, sweeping her arms underneath the buck.

"Woah—!" Judas exclaimed in surprise as the vixen surged to her feet, cradling him in her arms. He grasped her tightly as she swayed dangerously with the sudden movement.

"Never fear, Carrots!" Nicky declared loudly, striding off boldly, if unsteadily, towards the corridor leading to her bedroom. "Cadet Wilde has you now!"

"Well," Judas grinned, loosening his grip slightly, "in that case, I trust you complet— Ow!" he broke off with a cry of pain as Nicky stumbled, knocking his head into the hallway wall."

"Ooops! Sorry about that, Fluff!" Nicky apologised meekly. She slowly entered her room, carefully watching to not hit the bunny's head on the door frame.

"Ouch!" Judas yelped again as his foot clipped the frame instead.

"Sorry," Nicky cringed again, avoiding the glare Judas was giving her from his position in her arms. She nudged the door almost closed with her foot, and entered further into the dim room, trusting to her sharper eyesight to avoid any other hazards.

Nicky reached the side of the bed, and intentionally double checked again for any more obstacles before she dropped Judas onto the mattress.

At least, that had been her intention.

"Oooff! Nicky, you're heavy!" Judas grunted from his new position sandwiched between the pink bedspread and the orange vixen laying atop him.

"Hey! That's not a very nice thing to say about a lady!" she retorted indignantly, her words only slightly muffled by her muzzle being squished into the covers.

"It's not very lady-like of you to lie on top of me like this!" Judas answered, grabbing her arms and twisting, using his entire bodyweight to leverage the fox off himself. Nicky gave an assisting push with the one foot that was in contact with the floor, and she suddenly found herself staring up at the ceiling, lying next to the bunny on the bed, both giggling again at the situation.

"Sorry," Nicky repeated, "I guess I kinda slipped up there."

"Yeah, I figured that," Judas replied with a dry smirk. They both remained where they lay, each staring up at the dark ceiling in silence. The rest of the room still seemed like it was spinning, but the light fitting and the surrounding space acted like an anchor, holding both of them steady, providing a reference point for their still-racing minds and pulses.

It wasn't long before another yawn escaped Judas, followed shortly by a partner from Nicky.

"I should probably get up now, and let you get some sleep now, Fluff," Nicky sighed, trying to raise herself up on her paws again, before realising that Judas was still holding tight to her arm.

"Why not sleep here tonight?" Judas suggested sleepily, stifling another yawn. Already, Nicky could see he was struggling to keep his eyes open. _'So am I, for that matter,'_ she realised with another yawn of her own. "It's not like we haven't done it before," he mumbled, referring to their night spent at the Big Mansion.

"True…" Nicky mused quietly, trying to think of any reason she shouldn't share the bed with Judas. The rabbit shuffled closer, disrupting her line of thought once again as she looked down at the buck. He had already closed his eyes and was curled up against her side. Nicky suddenly wondered why she was looking for a way out anyway. This is what she wanted after all, to be close to her bunny.

She reached down to the foot of the bed for the spare blanket and draped it over them both. "Goodnight, Judas," she smiled tenderly, rolling onto her side to better watch Judas' sleeping face. His ears and nose twitched endearingly in response to her whisper, and the last thought to cross the vixen's mind as she too fell into the warm embrace of sleep, was how _criminally_ adorable the grey rabbit looked.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **Well, there you are! I hope you found that at least half as enjoyable as it was to write!**

 **A quick note, I got my idea for Nicky's new nickname from a line in Zanrok's newest chapter of One Hundred Boop's, "Awkward Mornings". If you want to read obscenely sweet, mind-numbing awkwardness and fluff, Zanrok is the master! If for some ridiculous reason you haven't read any of their stories, do yourself a favour and open one now! Trust me, you won't regret it (well, unless you go mad before the end!).**

 **Finally, congrats to Combat Engineer for being the first to correctly guess all three movies I referenced in the previous chapter; Prometheus, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and The Thing (1982 - John Carpenter's version). Perhaps next time I'll need to be a bit more obscure in my references!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note:**

 **Well, um, sorry? That was a much longer break between updates than I had intended, I sincerely apologise for that. Long story short; Assignments, Exams, a week of intensive volunteering, then getting thrown into a full-time internship alongside my other job kind of took most of my time and energy from the past couple of months. I had been meaning and hoping to find time in amongst all that to write, but its only really been over the last couple of days that I have been able to.**

 **I do want to thank those of you who took time out of your own schedules to message me and make sure I was alright. I really appreciate it, and it is largely due to the promises I made you that this chapter is going up now. I said it would be up before Christmas, and as this is the last free moment I have before the candy canes hit the fan, up it goes! Sorry that it's not a Christmas themed chapter at all, but I had to go with the story line as it was. Still, I hope you'll find this one enjoyable to make up for it! Thanks for hanging around, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter if you have the time!**

* * *

 _Chapter 26: Preparations_

Judas woke to two sets of conflicting messages from his body. On one paw he was extraordinarily comfortable, like he'd found the perfect sleeping position and temperature, and even the barest movement would destroy his bliss. On the other, his bladder felt fit to burst.

' _Damn it!'_ he groaned internally as he mentally prepared himself to lose the supreme bliss he was in. He opened his eyes.

The soft cream-coloured fur of Nicky's neck greeted his gaze, and her musky scent broke through the sleep-addled barriers of his brain, waking him up faster than the discomfort below. That it was Nicky's fur, he had no doubts. He'd gotten so used to her appearance after having lived with her the past week, that her colourings and features had become almost as familiar as his own. At least that's the reason he let himself admit to.

The strip of lighter fur drew his eyes downwards without conscious thought. He quickly flicked them up again, flushing furiously, when he noticed her purple blouse had slipped low during the night. Instead, he resolutely fixed his eyes on the underside of Nicky's chin, where her head disappeared above his own. Belatedly, he realised the supreme comfort he felt was far more due to the pretty fox curled around him than to the blankets or the bed keeping out the chill of the room.

He stifled a groan as a stab of pain from his bladder again demanded he move. The problem was that he wanted to move even less now than he had before. Here he was, in the arms of his closest friend, finally getting unrestricted time close to her. No emotional walls. No teasing. No distrust. It was something he'd been wanting for a very long time. Longer, even, than he'd known the smarmy fox. There was nothing sexual in his desire, but rather it was a hunger for the affection and intimacy that came only with the closest of relationships. The type of love that he'd been longing for, for most of his life.

It was a love that parents can ever truly supply, not that he'd lacked their love at all either, but the sort of love that can only ever come from another mammal that one sees as an equal and the closest of friends. That Judas was feeling this affection for a fox, and not another rabbit was an irony not lost on him, but also a thought that didn't scare him as much as he might have thought it would. After all, foxes had once fed on rabbits as a primary food source, and he had once been attacked and scarred, both physically and mentally, by a fox. Most rabbits, and indeed many prey species, would look on in shock at his current position. Some would probably even call the police, given the recent increase in distrust between groups.

But all Judas wanted to do was to curl up in Nicky's arms, and return to sleep. And that made the protestations of his bladder all the harder to ignore and resist.

After just a few painfully short minutes, Judas let out a quiet groan and set about timidly extracting himself from his foxy enclosure. He ducked his head down from Nicky's chin and slowly began inching backwards, shivering slightly as the cool bedroom air rushed into the space between them. Nicky obviously felt it too because she whined quietly in her sleep.

' _Bad move…'_ Judas realised too late as Nicky's arms quickly tightened, suddenly dragging Judas back into the vixen's tight embrace, mashing his face up against the soft fur of her neck. If he thought her scent was strong before, now, with his button-nose pressed deep into the fur of Nicky's chest, it was entirely overwhelming, and all conscious thought seemed to fade into a world of warmth and comfort.

That is, until a warm and wet sensation snapped him back to reality.

"Nicky!" he hissed in surprise, his one free ear springing to attention, flicking the vixen's cheek in the process. His other ear was trapped in her mouth as she gently gummed the sensitive appendage in her sleep. "Nicky!" Judas repeated, a little louder this time, and gently pushed on one of the arms encircling him.

"Mmmgghh," she gurgled, shifting slightly and tightening her grip even more. Judas started to worry that he might not be able to make it to the toilet in time if she continued to pull him tighter. Nicky's tongue began to trace around the edge of his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"Nicky, _please_!" he spoke up again, even louder this time, "I _really_ need the toilet!"

Finally, the vixen began to wake up, slowly uncurling from the rabbit and stretching out her limbs, a series of pops and cracks accompanying her movements. Judas felt a pang of remorse that he couldn't wait around to watch what he knew would have been an incredibly adorable moment, and a chance for him to get back at her for all the times she had called him cute. Instead, as soon as her mouth opened in a wide yawn, he sprang free of her grasp, noting with mild disgust the string of saliva that still connected his ear to her mouth for much longer than he thought reasonable.

But even that thought was pushed aside as he reached the edge of the bed and he had to funnel all his concentration into walking on his mildly throbbing leg, and not wetting himself as he crossed the short distance to the bathroom. He barely made it.

By the time he re-emerged from the bathroom, having taken a few minutes extra to wash his ear clean of saliva, Nicky was already at the doorway, looking only partially awake as she shuffled past him, pulling the door shut behind her without a word. Within moments, Judas heard the familiar splashing sound of someone using the toilet, and moved away from the door with a mild blush colouring his ears.

He hobbled carefully into the kitchen, enjoying the freedom of not having to use his crutches all the time any more, but still cautious about over-extending himself. The wound was already throbbing slightly with the memory of yesterday's exertion. Although the physio had told him he could start walking on it, there was a point where it could be too much to soon, and he was wondering if making dinner, and doing the dishes might have been pushing it a little.

He flipped on the kettle and retrieved two mugs from the cupboard and Nicky's plunger from the dish rack. It hadn't taken long for him to get used to Nicky's morning dependence on coffee. She never really seemed to wake up properly until she had a steaming mug of black coffee in her paws. He'd also realised that she wasn't fond of the instant stuff either, much preferring the richer taste and aroma of brewed coffee. He poured some ground beans into the glass beaker as he'd watched her do many times, and then filled it up with the boiled water. He threw a teabag into his own mug and topped that up with the remaining hot water. No coffee for him. The caffeine would probably send him through the roof.

By the time Nicky finally trudged into the kitchen, looking only marginally more awake and with her fur half-heartedly raked into place, her coffee was ready, and Judas wordlessly passed her the steaming mug. She grunted appreciatively and held it up to her nose, inhaling the rich scent of the fresh brew. Judas smiled as he watched Nicky's reaction to the coffee. First her black nose twitched back and forth over the dark surface of the liquid, hungrily drinking in the vapour as if trying to prevent any of it escaping. Next her mouth twitched and stretched, slowly forming a wide smile while her eyes drooped shut, but with less a sense of sleepiness than when they had been open.

Tenderly, she raised the mug to her lips, puckering them as she gently blew out over the surface, sending ripples dancing merrily across it. Her eyes cracked open again, and Judas could see her emerald irises gleaming out from under her eyelashes as her tongue darted out for her very first taste. She recoiled it with a hiss that was as much pain as it was pleasure. Judas rolled his eyes and suppressed an amused chuckle. When he'd asked her before why she always tasted her coffee when she knew it was still too hot, she'd replied that any good coffee was meant to be too hot to drink immediately. If it didn't burn at the first sip, you could never enjoy it properly while it was still hot. Judas thought that was a little ridiculous, but like many of Nicky's habits, this was one of her idiosyncrasies that he was learning to live with.

"See something you like, Carrots?" Nicky smirked over the rim of her mug, finally sounding more like her normal, snarky self.

"Oh," Judas chirped, trying to fight the growing, and now familiar, blushing in his ears, "I'm just admiring your little wake-up ritual there." He poked his tongue out at her, then took another sip of his green tea.

"Hmmpf!" she snorted, "Well, at least I'm not drinking that stuff!" she jutted her chin forwards at his mug of green tea. "That stuff tastes worse than most medicines!"

"What's wrong with medicine?" Judas asked.

"Of course _you_ would say that," Nicky rolled her eyes. She blew on her coffee again and her tongue tested the temperature again. Finding that it was not quite as scolding anymore, she took a proper sip, sighing in appreciation as she swallowed.

"Sooo," Judas said slowly, breaking eye contact.

"So," Nicky confirmed gravely.

"This morning?"

"Well, I was thinking we might need to start talking about what's going to happen while I'm at the academy," Nicky answered, either ignoring, or not noticing the look of confusion in the buck's face. "I was kinda thinking that you might be able to stay here while I'm away, if you don't mind tha– What's up, Fluff?" she asked, finally noticing Judas' bewildered expression.

"I was meaning earlier this morning," he clarified, "when we woke up." His ears were drooped along the back of his head as he tried to hide the blush in them. _'It's almost becoming a permanent feature,'_ he noted dryly to himself. _'If I'm not careful, I might have pink ears for the rest of my life!'_

Nicky stared at him blankly, not seeming to understand what the rabbit in front of her was talking about. Judas sighed and forced himself to look her squarely in the eyes and to ignore the storm raging in his stomach.

"You know, when we slept togeth— _NEXT to_ each other!" Judas nearly shouted in panic at what he almost implied. "We slept _next_ to each other! Not _to_ gether! Not that that would have… But! Your mouth! My ear! The cuddling… Toilet!" Judas clamped his free paw over his mouth before he kept babbling madly.

Throughout the entire episode, Nicky's face went from mild confusion, to concern, worry, then a mild panic. Well, mild when compared to Judas' own. Then, slowly, she turned her head to look back to the couch. The couch where she had spent the last week sleeping and was now very conspicuously empty of pillows and blankets. More quickly, her head swung back to the kitchen bench where a pair of dirty wineglasses stood, still with a few drops of red liquid staining the bottoms, next to a rather large, and very empty, bottle of wine. Her head then snapped back to the corridor leading to her bedroom, where Judas had been sleeping, and also, where she had emerged from just a short while ago.

Her panic-wide eyes darted to Judas faster than the rest of her head could follow, and for a fraction of a second, Judas wondered if she might have given herself whiplash. Her mouth fell open, and Judas could see her tongue running along behind her top row of teeth, stopping at a point just off to one side. Slowly, almost fearfully, she reached a paw up to the gap between her pointed canines, and then came away with a few strands of grey-black fur. Judas' paw absently travelled up to the ear Nicky had been sucking on in her sleep.

"Well," Nicky breathed quietly to herself, gaping at the strands between her claws, "that explains the furry Pawpsicle."

"What?" Judas asked in confusion. Nicky's attention snapped back to Judas, and to reality.

"Judas! I— We didn't—? Your ear? I'm so sorry! I—"

"Slow down, Nicky!" Judas interrupted, mildly surprised at how calm his voice came out. "I'm good. You're good. We're good, right?"

"Wh-Yes!" she spluttered. "But your ear? Are you sure it's okay?"

"Of course it is!" Judas rolled his eyes, and took a longer draught from his mug. The tea was cooling off quickly. As if on cue, Nicky seemed to remember her own mug, and took a large gulp, but her eyes remained fixed on Judas. "Besides," Judas forced a playful smirk, "if anyone's earned the right to chew on my ear, it's probably you. You know," he added at the vixen's blank look, "after what I did to yours." Nicky reached up to her own torn ear instinctively at Judas' words, and instantly he knew he shouldn't have opened his mouth. His smile fell away at the slight slump that Nicky's shoulders took on as her fingers traced the jagged edge.

"Sorry, that was too far," Judas mumbled.

"Hey, it's not your fault, remember?" Nicky stated, pulling her arm down and squaring her shoulders again. Judas nodded solemnly, not because he really believed, or agreed, with Nicky, but because it was what she needed to see. They both finished their drinks in an uncomfortable silence, and Judas hobbled back over to the couch. His leg was really starting to throb now, and his limping was becoming more pronounced. Nicky followed him over and passed him a couple of over-the-counter painkillers. His course of more powerful medicines had finished a few days prior, and now he was trying to avoid having to take pills if he could avoid them. He tossed back the pills without a second thought and swallowed them dry. Nicky sat down next to him in silence, staring blankly out the shuttered window. The sunlight streaming through the gaps was enough to tell them both that they had slept until at least midmorning.

"I bet it was weird, though," Nicky finally broke the silence. She picked at some imaginary dirt under her claws, purposefully avoiding Judas' eyes.

"Hmm?"

"Having me chew on your ear in my sleep." She stopped playing with her claws and glanced nervously across at the Judas. "That's gotta be up there in your list of weirdest moments, right?" She picked up the remote and flicked the TV on. It seemed to Judas to be an act performed more out of habit and the need to do something, rather than the desire to actually watch anything. He relaxed slightly.

"Oh, definitely weird," Judas laughed, and before he could stop himself, he added, "But it actually felt kind of nice." Nicky spun to look at him again with a look of shock on her face, and his ears once again burned in embarrassment. _'Yep,'_ he thought in chagrin, _'they're definitely going to turn a permanent shade of red.'_

* * *

"Slow down Judas!" Nicky giggled. "You're making a huge mess! Do you know how long that's going to take to clean up?"

"Sorry," he gasped breathlessly, glancing up at her with an embarrassed smile. He forced himself to slow his rhythm.

"That's better!" Nicky sighed. Judas only grunted quietly in time with his movements. _'Always so enthusiastic, isn't he?'_ she thought happily to herself. "That's great!" she added aloud. "Perfect! Now… put your fingers in it!"

"M-my fingers?" Judas asked uncertainly, still short of breath.

"Yes! Your fingers," Nicky snapped, but the smile was still evident in her voice. "Get them right in there, you need to make sure it's moist enough! That's the only way you'll know if its ready."

"Are you sure—Woah!"

"See!" Nicky sighed, letting go of Judas' wrist. "That's much better isn't it?"

"Wow! It's actually quite warm!" Judas exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, what did you expect?" Nicky rolled her eyes. "It has been getting quite the workout!"

"True," Judas snickered.

"I think it's ready," Nicky announced calmly. "Put it in."

"Are you sure?" Judas asked dubiously. "It looks a bit small."

"Oh, don't worry," Nicky grinned, "It'll get a lot bigger!"

"Alright then…"

"Great!" Nicky chirped happily. "Now, come on, get moving!"

"Don't worry, Nicky," Judas rolled his eyes. "I know how this part works!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up!"

"Gee! Someone's rather impatient today," Judas quipped. "What's the big rush?"

"I'm hungry, Judas!" Nicky drummed her fingers on the benchtop. "And there's nothing quite like a fresh loaf of bread to hit the spot! So, get that dough in the oven!"

"Roger that, Chef!" Judas chuckled, opening the oven, releasing a wave of heat into the kitchen. He slid the half-full tin of bread dough onto one of the shelves. "There," he announced, straightening up and clapping his floured paws together. "Now the clean-up, right?"

"See? Now you're learning!" Nicky laughed, gathering the used mixing bowls together and carrying them over to the sink. She scraped a small clump of raw dough from the inside of the bowl and quickly popped it into her mouth. It was floury and tacky, and not nearly as tasty as it would be once the loaf was cooked, but as she'd told Judas, she was hungry.

She turned the tap on and begun filling the sink, tossing Judas a damp cloth to start wiping up the mess of flour he'd made when kneading the dough like a madmammal. He caught it with a grin, and got to work.

"So," Judas said, "name the precincts." It was a pattern they'd begun to develop ever since Nicky revealed the good news that she would be leaving for the academy. She would teach Judas enough to look after himself and keep her apartment running while she was away, and he would do his best to prepare her for the gruelling assessments.

"Oh, please!" Nicky scoffed. "That's a schoolkit's question! Precinct One, the City itself. It's where you work, and where I'm going to work too!"

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Slick!" Judas teased. "You've still got three months at the academy to get through!" Nicky snorted derisively in response. "And the other four?" Judas prompted.

"Precinct Two; the icy Cross-Cut Mountains to the north-east, covered in snow for more than half the year," she recited easily. "The fishing villages scattered along the cliffs and shores provide most of the region's fresh fish. The crime-rate is rather low of course, most mammals are more concerned with keeping warm and getting their work done than committing crimes."

"Well, aside from a few drunken brawls," Judas added with a wry smirk.

"Well, _aside_ from that," Nicky rolled her eyes. "Further west is Precinct Three; The Moors." She listed a few statistics on the population and crime-rates. Judas nodded.

"Then, Precinct Four," she continued with a smile, placing the last of the clean dishes in the rack for Judas to dry. "The Burrows. Breadbasket of Zootopia, and where everyone's favourite Bunny-Cop hails from."

"And also where the ZPA is located," Judas added seriously, and Nicky nodded in agreement. It was now less than two weeks before she'd be leaving for the Academy, and she was beginning to feel a little bit nervous. The lessons Judas was giving her ahead of time were helping, but every day the move was coming rapidly closer. She listed off a few more facts about the second most heavily populated district in the city-state before briefly discussing the more temperate south-eastern Fifth Precinct.

They moved over to the couch again, and Judas quizzed Nicky on several details relating to the legal system of both the state and the Federation as a whole. Nicky felt that she managed all the questions rather well with only a few minor corrections and additions from Judas. Not once did she feel the need to open any of the legal texts scattered on the coffee table. It helped that she had made herself familiar with most of the intricacies of business law back as a convixen, but this was much wider reaching than anything else she had previously encountered. Her rights and restrictions as a beat-cop, when and where she could or couldn't intervene, the limitations of her jurisdiction and many more regulations than she felt were mammalianly reasonable swam about in her head, and she fought to wrestle them into some semblance of order.

Eventually Judas held up his paw, halting Nicky mid-sentence as she described the instances in which the Federation military police could take charge of an investigation. "I think that's enough, Nicky," he smiled. "I think you'll do really well with the theory part of the training. You seem to have a natural ability to memorise endless slabs of information." He snorted, "To think that I spent three years at University studying all this, and you memorise most of it in under two weeks!"

"Well, I have a good teacher," Nicky smiled winsomely. Judas snorted again, but the smile returned to his face.

"Silver-tongued devil."

"Don't you know it!" Nicky shot back, before clamping her mouth shut, her eyes wide in surprise at how that could've been taken. Judas hesitated just the briefest fraction of a second as he made to stand up, and then pretended he hadn't heard her. Nicky fought to keep a frown off her face. Ever since the morning the other week when they had woken up tangled up together, _'And with his ear in my mouth,'_ they'd both retreated to an awkward distance, both avoiding the subject like the plague. It saddened her that there was a new barrier between them now, but what upset her more, was that she was not doing anything to try and break it down again. It was a subtle barrier, but it was a barrier all the same.

Nicky glanced up again to watch as Judas made his way to the kitchen to refill his glass of water. He still had a slight hitch in his step, and briefly she wondered if he'd ever be fully back to his original self. _'Probably not,'_ she admitted sullenly to herself. _'Then again, can anyone ever truly return to who they were before something like that? Would it even be healthy?'_ She absently reached up to feel the edge of her ear again. _'Things happen. We learn from them. Life goes on. Not backwards.'_

She returned her attention to the buck. He was standing in front of the fridge, his glass clutched tightly between his paws, while he stared fondly at the letter stuck to the fridge with a magnet. It was one of both their favourite things to look at, reminding them of the changes and surprises that life sometimes brings. Her acceptance into the ZPA had seemed to kick Judas back into high gear, and he almost always had a gorgeous smile plastered to his face. Seeing it always brought a matching one to Nicky's own muzzle. But as she watched, Judas' brow furrowed, and his smile slowly vanished.

"Uh, Nicky?"

"Yes? What's up?"

"I, uh, I think there's been a mistake on this form?"

Nicky's heart seemed to skip a beat. "Sorry?" she asked, standing up and making her way towards the rabbit.

"It says here that you're only 26? But that can't be right, can it?"

"Excuse me?" Nicole narrowed her eyes, and if Judas heard the drop in her tone, he didn't seem to register the danger he was in.

"Well, you're older than that right? Aren't you, like, 32?" he was still looking at the letter, and so missed Nicky crossing her arms, and the way her tail began to twitch from side to side in agitation.

"And what makes you say _that_?" Finally, Judas seemed to notice the change in her demeanour, and his ears shot up in alarm and his nose began twitching instinctively. Not in fear of the predator across from him, but the even deeper-seated fear of being on very unstable ground with a potentially angry female. She watched him gulp as he carefully considered his next choice of words. She began tapping her claws on her arm, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"But I thought…" he squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Your tax form?"

"My tax form?" Nicky asked in confusion, softening her glare only marginally. Judas nodded emphatically, almost sloshing water over the rim of his glass.

"Yes! Remember when I blackmailed you…" he cringed, but Nicky felt she knew where he was trying to go.

"The city's official documents listed me as 32, didn't they?"

"Um, yes?" he confirmed tentatively, one ear and one eyebrow raised while the other side remained drooped. Nicky's face softened into a smile once more. Judas was just too cute sometimes to remain angry at for long, especially when the mistake wasn't really his own.

"Ah. I see."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"I don't get it, Nicky! What do you mean, 'I see'? One set of those official documents are wrong, and all you say is 'I see'?"

"Yep," she chirped, peaking into the glass oven door. The bread looked ready, so she pulled on a pair of oven mitts and opened the door. A hot blast of air rushed out, carrying with it the unmistakeable scent of freshly baked bread. It set her mouth watering.

"Well, care to explain it to me?" Judas asked, his tone more tempered as his eyes fixed on the golden-brown loaf that Nicky upended onto a wire cooling rack.

Nicky drew in a deep breath of the heavenly smell, and let it out again in a long sigh. "You know how I told you that my Mom was stuck in some rather crappy jobs when I was younger?" She gently prodded the softly yielding crust with one claw. Pleased with the feel of it, she continued, "Well, after my encounter with Stephanie and the other girls from school, and several other boring and depressing incidents, I decided that I wasn't going to end up like her. I didn't want to be trodden all over by every other bigoted mammal that thought foxes were lower on the food chain than them." She steered Judas back towards the couch, ignoring the way both their noses seemed reluctant to leave the warmth of the kitchen.

"I decided that I was going to make my own path, and if I was using those who thought they were beating me, all the better. However," she chuckled lightly, thinking back to the spunky and fiery young vixen she had been, "that's rather a tricky feat when you're just a sixteen-year-old schoolkit!"

"I bet," Judas smiled thinly. Nicky could practically see the wheels turning in his head, and the sympathy he was trying to hold back, knowing that Nicky wouldn't want it. The effort mattered more to her than she expected, and she had to clear her throat to continue.

"So, I struck out on my own. I dressed myself up, and did my best to look older than I was. It was surprisingly easy, really. You move around a lot, dress the right way and take on small jobs, like waitressing at a café, and all everyone sees is the 22-year-old you claim to be, not the scared kit inside."

"Waitressing? Really?" Judas asked with a smile. "I never would've picked you for that kind of a girl!"

"Ha! Yeah, ironic, I know, especially with how much I blamed my Mom for settling for much the same kind of work." Nicky sighed again and wondered for a moment what her mother was doing these days. She realised she'd probably soon need to make the effort to reconnect with her. _'Not just yet, though,'_ she told herself.

"Anyway," she continued, snapping back to reality, "I needed money to support myself as I took some online beauty courses, and many places are willing to pay cash to a mammal who just needs the money, and can't be too fussy about the amount. Eventually, I got enough shady qualifications to fake my way into the business world, and if my official records said I was half a dozen years older than I actually was, who was I to care? I knew the truth, and that was enough."

"Until now."

"Until now," Nicky confirmed quietly.

"But surely someone's going to find out, right?" Judas asked. "I mean, it's all there on your official documents. Surely someone at the Academy will notice?"

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Nicky laughed lightly. "I've taken care of all that when I went to speak with Interim-Mayor Bogo and Recruiter Adams." Judas raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Bogo gave me amnesty from that little oversight when I explained the situation to him. While martial law was still in effect, he had the authority and power to permanently change or erase my records. I'm going into the academy a clean mammal!"

Judas gaped at her. "He what?!"

"He gave me a clean record," she repeated with a smile. "Not that there was ever really anything on it in the first place, but he made it so there could be no legal objections to my acceptance."

"But—but why? How!?"

"Oh, he's really just a big softie when you get to know him," Nicky smirked. Judas didn't look convinced. "Fine," she sighed, "I cut a deal with him."

"What kind of a deal," Judas asked warily.

"Funny thing really," she grinned leaning back with her paws behind her head, "he seemed to think he was getting the better end of the deal in the end."

"Nicky," Judas asked slowly, "what was the deal you made."

"One," she listed smugly, "that I wouldn't reveal to the media that he nearly fired the first rabbit officer, and the one who cracked the Savage Mammal case."

" _We_ solved that case, Nicole. _We_ did. Not me, _us_ ," Judas corrected her sharply. Nicky ignored him.

"And two, that if I graduated within the top ten percent of the class…" she paused to take a drink from the glass of water on the table, not caring that it was Judas', only that she was testing his patience.

"Yes?" he demanded impatiently. Nicky gave him her slyest grin.

"That I would get to be your partner."

The shout of joy and surprise that escaped her friend almost deafened her as he launched himself across the short space between them. _'Hmm, maybe Bogo was getting the easier half of the deal,'_ she thought wryly to herself as Judas both giggled and sobbed into her shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **So, things are finally going to get a bit of a move on now, and next chapter we'll finally re-emerge into the world at large in what should again be a fun-filled adventure. Until then, so long, and Merry Christmas from the (mostly) hot and sunny Land of Aus!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note:**

 **Well, I promised several people I'd have this chapter up before the New Year, so as this will be my last chance before 2018 hits, here it is! A huge shout out to MaryMorante who gave me the inspiration for this chapter. I'm not entirely sure if this is what you had in mind when you made the suggestion MM, but this is what came out as I wrote ;P**

 **Please Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 27: A Rocky Roadtrip_

" _Police were forced to step in to break up another protest today when a mixed mob of both predators and prey blockaded ZPD headquarters today. The demonstrators were demanding that former mayor Bellwether be released to them for so-called justice. One of the mammals leading the mob was a leopard by the name of Gary Chambers, a victim of the Savage Mammal attacks, purportedly masterminded by the former mayor. Social reporter, Lisa Evans spoke with Mr Chambers earlier today."_

The screen on Nicky's wall flickered, flooding the otherwise dim room with bright daylight, instead of the more subdued blues that illuminated the newsroom. Nicole Wilde herself sat unmoving on the couch, staring intently at the screen while an animated leopard in a tousled and dirtied business shirt spoke earnestly into the camera. She thought it was oddly ironic that the angry mammal was not only accusing the entire police force and government of being corrupt, but that he was decrying the methods used by the police force to break up the protest as 'brutal' and 'unconscionable' whilst also demanding that Bellwether be released so she could see what 'a real savage mammal' looked like.

The only sign that the statuesque vixen was paying attention to anything other than the broadcast were the intermittent flicks of her uninjured ear towards the slowly pacing buck behind her. Judas was on the phone to his parents again, not at all an uncommon occurrence, only this time his mother had called for an audio-only conversation. Nicky briefly smirked at the idea that technology had come far enough that having a simple phone call on a mobile phone was actually weird. On the other paw, rarely had a day gone by in the past three and a half weeks that Judas and his parents hadn't shared a muzzletime conversation. Most of the time, Nicky had joined in as well, much to Judas' parents seeming delight. Besides, any excuse for her to sit close to her bunny was a valid one in her mind. So, the fact that she hadn't been involved in this call was, at minimum, a little odd, especially when she could tell that at least part of the conversation was about her. She tried not to feel slighted.

"Yes, Mom, I _know_ where the Academy is. I _did_ spend _three months_ of my life living there!" Judas paused while his mother said something that Nicky had no hope of overhearing, no matter how hard she strained. Rabbit hearing was more sensitive than most mammals, and so it only seemed reasonable to her that they would naturally have the volume lower over the phone. Still, that fact didn't stop Nicky from trying to eavesdrop.

"Sure, that'd be nice—" he paused again, before sighing exasperatedly. "Mom! I haven't even asked her yet! What if she doesn't want to?" Nicky's heart skipped a beat, and she had to fight the urge to spin around. They were _definitely_ talking about her, and only one topic seemed to make sense. A sly grin began to work its way across her muzzle. Maybe she was _finally_ going to get what she'd been hoping for, for weeks now. _'Maybe Judas will finally ask me ou—"_

"Hey, Nicky?" Judas called casually, causing the vixen to jump in her seat, before whirling on the rabbit with a slightly wild glint in her eyes. Judas had one paw over the phone's speaker and looked as if he were about to continue.

"Yes!" Nicky blurted out before he could speak, then mentally slapped herself as he raised an eyebrow at the intensity of her response.

"Uh, Mom was just wondering if you'd like to spend a couple of days at the farm before heading on to the Academy? Its really okay if you don't," he added hurriedly, seeing Nicky's shoulders droop slightly as the hoped-for question never came. _'Dumb fox,'_ she scolded herself briefly, _'he wouldn't ask that question with his mother on the line!'_ She blinked rapidly realising that Judas was still speaking, sounding more and more nervous with every rambling second.

"I mean, its really just lots of really clingy kits and parents. Lots of noise, and, um, you know, cuddles? Not that that's a bad thing, but I know you probably don't love all that kind of stuff, and—"

"That'd be real nice, Fluff," Nicky smiled, regaining her usual demeanour, her trademark smirk firmly in place.

"That's okay, I totally understand. I'll just tell her you need more time to… Hang on? What did you say?" Judas spluttered.

"I'd love to spend some time at your family's farm," Nicky smiled, the corners of her lips twitching mischievously. "It'll be good to see how you grew up." She watched in amusement as he gulped nervously and returned to the phone and informed his mother that they would indeed be staying. Nicky turned back to the television. The news segment had ended, and now an add for a reality TV show was playing. _'Or supposedly reality,'_ she snorted in derision, _'seriously, why would anyone watch a show where a bunch of mammals all got locked in a big house for a month? Ridiculous!'_

"You sure he won't mind? It's a long trip, we were just going to take the train." Nicky's ears perked up again, preferring to listen to her fluffy friend instead of the incessant drivel on the screen.

"Well, if he's going to be in town anyway, and you're _certain_ it won't be putting him out—. Fine, alright then, Thursday it is. Two o'clock? Sure, that suits us I think. Alright, bye. Chat to you again tomorrow. Tell Dad I said hi! Bye!" Nicky heard a subtle sigh as Judas hung up the phone.

"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, Nicky," Judas grouched slightly as he plonked himself down on the couch next to her. There was plenty of space on the couch, and so it pleased Nicky greatly that Judas chose to sit closer to her than he had to. _'Although, he could still be a bit closer,'_ she thought wistfully.

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea," Nicky grinned at him. "Surely your Mom and all your brothers and sisters will have plenty of embarrassing stories to tell!" Her taunt was rewarded with Judas' ears perking straight up in alarm, a look of horror slowly forming on his face. It seemed he hadn't even considered the idea before Nicky had mentioned it. "I'm sure there're _plenty_ of photo albums too," she added, her smirk growing wider.

"Oh, no," Judas breathed quietly. "What have _you_ gotten _me_ into?" Nicky began to laugh loudly at her friend's impending doom, and before long, he joined in, the weather report on the news now fully forgotten in their shared mirth.

* * *

"Have you got everything?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? What about your running gear?"

"Yes."

"And your phone charger? I'd hate for—"

" _Yes!_ "

Judas stopped his nervous pacing and looked up at the vixen standing in the middle of the living room, his nose was twitching slightly. Nicky sighed in exasperation, crossing her arms, and stared at the rabbit. "I've got everything I need, Fluff," she reiterated slowly, jerking her thumb at the duffel bag at her feet. "I've lived with less for longer periods of time."

"Sorry," Judas mumbled down at his comically large feet. "Just a little… excited, that's all."

' _Try nervous as hell,'_ Nicky corrected silently. Instead, she softened her stance slightly. "Don't worry, Fluff, it'll be fine, I promise! Once I ace this academy thing, I'll be your partner full-time and then you'll really have something to be excited about!" she grinned.

"Hah!" Judas snorted, rolling his eyes. "You have _nooo_ idea what's coming," he returned her grin with an evil reflection, and a strange glint in his eyes that caused her pulse to quicken slightly.

"Oh, I'm sure it can't be that hard," she retorted pleasantly. "After all, if a _cute_ , little bunny rabbit could do it, I'm sure that a _sleek_ , _lithe_ vixen, such as myself, could easily do better!"

"Pfft! Just ask Ursula which cadet set the record for setting the most records when you get there!" Judas crossed his arms and stared confidently across the room at Nicky.

"You…?" Nicky asked incredulously, all pretence gone as she looked on the smug rabbit with newfound respect.

" _Ding-ding-dong."_ The chime of the doorbell cut off any further conversation on the topic as Judas turned about to open the door for their ride. Nicky hadn't bothered to ask who had offered them both a lift out to the farm, assuming it was probably Stu, or one of Judas' many siblings, so when a chubby male fox, roughly her own age, stepped through the doorway, she was more than a little surprised. A sentiment the other fox seemed to share, judging by the look on his face.

"Thanks again, Gid," Judas was saying as he closed the door behind the tod, "we really appreciate you doing this for us…" he trailed off as he noticed the staring contest happening between the pair of foxes.

Meanwhile, Nicky's eyes darted over the new male, automatically assessing him as she was sure he was her. He looked rather plain, she thought, although he did have kind, blue eyes. They reminded her a little of Judas'. He did need to lose weight though, she thought critically, eyeing his round belly. For a fox his age, he should be much slimmer. She sniffed the air delicately, she could seem him doing much the same. Oddly enough, he smelled rather pleasant. A mix of carbohydrates, fructose, glucose, butter and milk along with an array of natural esters, surrounded the strange fox, almost, but not quite, masking his own musky, foxy, and decidedly _male_ , scent. _'A baker then,'_ she ascertained, glancing at the light dusting of flower on the pant legs of his denim overalls. _'Well, I guess that explains the fat.'_

"Uh, Nicky?" Judas spoke up again, somewhat more timidly this time. Nicky noticed his ears were drooped behind his head, and she knew that something must've been bothering him. "This is Gid—"

"Gideon Grey, miss!" the baker chimed in with a bright smile, stepping forwards, reaching out his paw to take hers. Nicky couldn't explain why, but the name seemed somewhat familiar and left her with the barest feeling of unease that she couldn't quite shake. Trying to ignore the odd sensation, she returned her attention to the tod.

She held out her paw to him, noticing with irritation the way his tail was standing tall behind him and gently swaying to and fro. Gideon gently lifted her paw and bent to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles. She frowned slightly, knowing that, although it was just a customary greeting, she had no interest in the male in front of her. Gideon didn't seem to notice her slight stiffness, and instead stood back up again, still with that idiotic smile plastered across his face. Judas, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, looked aghast, his eyes fixed on her right paw still being held by the tod. She calmly removed it, but not before Judas had turned away, seemingly to pick up his bag from beside the dining table.

"Please fergive m' poor state 'f dress, Miss…?"

"Wilde," Nicky supplied politely. "Nicole Wilde." Judas had re-joined the pair of foxes, standing slightly to the side of Nicky and with what she could see was a somewhat forced smile. She felt a hollow ache in her stomach as she pieced together what she thought the problem might be.

"A pl'sure Miss Wilde," Gideon continued in as proper a manner as his southern accent would allow. "If Ah'd know Ah was t' be givin' such a fine vixen as yourself a lift, Ah'd have taken m're time t' dress pr'perly." Nicky caught Judas struggling to keep the smile on his face.

"That's quite alright, Mr Grey," Nicky assured him with her 'polite smile', one of her masks she reserved for mammals, particularly males, to whom she wished to be polite, but had no other interest or patience for. Her continued formality seemed to finally have a subtle effect on the other canid, as she'd hoped it would. His smile flattened almost imperceptibly, and some of the twinkle left his eyes. Nicky decided it was best if she made her stance clear enough to both males. It would only help to prevent any later awkwardness and frustrations. She moved over to stand next to her best friend.

"Judas and I are very grateful to you for offering to drive us to Bunnyburrow." As she spoke, Nicky let her paw come to rest on Judas' shoulder, and her tail softly drooped down to the floor, curling loosely around the buck's ankles. Gideon's smile dropped away to a frown for a moment before it was soon replaced by confusion as he took a delicate sniff of the air. Knowing what he was searching for, and what he wouldn't yet find, Nicky raised an eyebrow slightly and barely shook her head. _"Don't ask,"_ the gesture conveyed, and the slightest inclination of the tod's head indicated he got the message. Both messages, actually.

The exchange lasted only a few seconds, and Judas seemed to miss most of it, instead speaking up again, his voice full of cheer that Nicky could tell was more forced than sincere. She sighed inwardly, knowing that she might have to be a bit more _obvious_ to the buck in the future.

"Yeah, thanks a heap, Gid! Driving is so much more pleasant than taking the train all the way home! Um, do you want a drink before we go? Or need to use the bathroom?"

"Naw, Ah'm good, thanks Judas. If y're both ready to go?" Gideon certainly seemed a little more relaxed than he had a few moments ago, even if somewhat crestfallen. Nicky glanced at Judas and he gave her a short nod.

"Yes, I think we are ready, Gideon. Thanks again," she replied, picking up her bag. Judas did the same with his.

"M' pl'sure," he smiled, holding out a paw hopefully towards Nicky's bag. She pretended not to notice, and hefted the bag over her shoulder. Gideon's shoulders slumped slightly again, and Nicky felt a twinge of sympathy towards the other vulpine. But, he squared his shoulders again and fixed a smile back on his muzzle before Judas could notice the tension, and led the way out of the apartment towards his van, Nicky locking the door on the way out.

* * *

"Sooo," Nicky began, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen on the trio once Gideon had begun driving. "You're a baker?" Seeing as the pink van they were driving in had 'Gideon Grey's Really Good Baked Stuff' printed on the side around a stylised image of a steaming pie, Nicky realised the question was probably rather redundant, but she was desperate to talk about anything.

Both Judas and Gideon also seemed to feel the question was rather unnecessary, glancing at each other in confusion before both turning to look at her. The dim yellow lights of the Burrows-Link tunnel they were driving through gave both sets of eyes a flickering, eerie character that made Nicky think of outdated horror films.

"Um, yeah?" Gideon answered slowly, returning his attention to the road in front of him. They were nearing the end of the tunnel, and a warning sign indicated that the weather on the outside was cloudy and rainy. _'No need for my sunglasses, then,'_ Nicky thought gratefully.

"It's jus' a little business Ah run t' keep th' bills paid," he continued easily.

"A _little_ business?" Judas protested from his place on the bench seat between the two foxes, his ears perking up a little. "Gid, from what my parents have told me, you're one of the best pastry _chefs_ around!"

"Reeaally?" Nicky asked, drawing out the word with mild interest.

"Aww, shucks, Jude," Gideon mumbled, "Ah don' know if'm _that_ good." They exited the tunnel and Gideon flipped the windscreen wipers onto medium.

"Gid, how many shops do you have in the Burrows?" Judas asked, crossing his arms playfully.

"Uh, two," the fox mumbled into the steering wheel.

"Mhmm. And would you mind explaining to Nicky the reason why you were in the city today?"

"Geez, Judas, it's really not tha' big a deal," Gideon said shyly.

"He's looking at opening another shop in Zootopia," Judas answered for the fox, turning to Nicky with a proud smile. "On Mane street."

"Wow, Gideon," Nicky blinked in surprise at the portly fox. _'Maybe I judged him a little too quickly,'_ she thought, regretting the feeling of unease she'd had when she first met him. "That does seem rather impressive! Tell me," she licked her lips hopefully, "do you ever bake anything with blueberries?"

"Oh, dear," Judas rolled his eyes playfully while Gideon barked out laughing.

"Blueberries? Sure! M' blueberry tarts 're some o' m' most pop'lar items! In fact…" he trailed off, momentarily turning his head to look behind Judas into the caged-off storage area that occupied the majority of the vehicle. "Jude, would ya mind openin' that latch there? There's a cooler with a few… yep! Tha' one!" he smiled as Judas pulled the box onto his lap. Nicky watched in fascination as Judas opened the lid, revealing half a dozen palm-sized pastries. One whiff told her exactly which fruit filled them all. In excitement, she reached her paw forward to take one, before she remembered her manners.

"May I?" she asked quietly, only partially withdrawing her paw from the container. Judas gave her an amused look.

"Of course!" Gideon smiled, waving them both forward. "They're no longer fresh 'nough t' sell t'morrow, so dig in!" Neither Judas or Nicky needed a second invitation, and were both busily biting into the cold pastries before Gideon had even finished speaking.

"Oh my…" Nicky trailed off in a moan of pleasure as the sweet blueberry filling met her tongue. It was by far the best pastry she ever remembered putting in her mouth, and judging by Judas' similar reaction, he was in full agreement.

"So, Ah take it you both like 'em?" Gideon asked, reaching into the cooler to choose one for himself.

"Thish ish fantashtic!" Judas exclaimed trough a mouthful, his ears perking up in earnest, Nicky let her voracious appetite speak for itself as she crammed the remainder of the tart in her mouth. She reached for a second one, much to Gideon's amusement.

"Well, Ah can't take full credit f'r tha'," he chuckled, nibbling at his own treat. "Th' tarts c'n only be as good as th' berries as goes in 'em," he nodded suggestively at Judas.

"Wait," Nicky paused in her unwrapping of the foil around her second tart, "you mean these blueberries are from the Hopps farm?"

"Bu' of course!" Gideon smiled, overtaking a slower driver, a koala, Nicky noted as they passed by. "Th' bes' pies c'n only be made with th' bes' fruit!"

"Hmpf!" Nicky hummed pleasantly, regarding her tart with even greater appreciation. She took a much smaller bite this time, intending to savour it.

"So, how long have you been baking, Gid?" Judas asked, licking his fingers clean of any crumbs. "I don't remember you doing any of this back when we were in school."

"Heh," Gideon chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head with one paw. "Uh, nearly ten years now, Ah think."

"Hang on," Nicky interrupted between bites. She pointed a paw between them, "You guys went to school together?" Judas ears drooped at her question, and he turned towards her, his face suddenly clouded with surprise and worry. Gideon didn't seem to notice his reaction, but glanced at Nicky with an apologetic smile.

"Uh, yeah… We did go t' the same school, bu' we weren't exac'ly friends. Ah, uh, Ah was kinda a bit 'f a bully back then." Nicky froze. Something clicked, and suddenly she was back in the rainforest district on the sky tram with Judas.

" _Gideon? Who's Gideon?"_

" _Oh, um. He was, well, he was a bully I knew back in school."_

"… _he clawed me…"_

The half-chewed mouthful of tart turned to ashes in her mouth, and the twinge of discomfort she'd felt when she had first met the baker returned with a vengeance. She looked at the tart in her paw and suddenly felt sick, realising that the same paws that had brutalised the rabbit next to her had made the very same treat she had been enjoying just a moment ago. She fought back the bile rising in her throat and forced herself to swallow.

"—that was a really long time ago!" Judas was saying earnestly. "It's all right no—"

"Stop the car," Nicky growled coldly, refusing to look at the driver.

"Nicky, please," Judas placed a paw on her arm, his voice pleading with her, "it's all right! We're over our diff—"

"I said, PULL OVER!" Nicky roared, snarling dangerously at the cowed tod, her half eaten tart crumbling from her fist. Gideon quickly complied.

Before the van had even finished moving, Nicky yanked open the door and jumped out into the steady rain, Judas quickly following. Gideon remained seated at the wheel.

"Nicky, stop!" Judas called out, bouncing forward to catch her as she reached the back of the van. She ignored him and opened the doors and pulled both their bags off the floor and began marching towards the tree line, seeking some shelter from the rain beneath the tall pines. She felt angry, sick and scared all at once, the mess of emotions swirling ferociously in the pit of her stomach. She sat down on the root of a particularly massive pine. She felt dizzy. Vaguely, as if from a great distance, Nicky was aware of Judas speaking to her, trying to tell her that everything was alright. Which of course it wasn't. Not when they'd just been sharing a car with the monster who had once tried to kill Judas. _Her_ Judas.

' _That's not really fair,'_ her conscience interrupted her brooding.

' _What do you mean!'_ she snapped back. _'Of course he's mine!'_

' _No, I meant that Gideon didn't actually try to kill Judas!'_ the voice sighed _'The scars aren't nearly that bad!'_

' _Maybe not, but they're still there!'_

' _No question about that, but perhaps you should at least listen to the mammal who has to wear them every day!'_

' _Don't wanna,'_ Nicky whined back.

' _Too bad. He is_ your _problem, remember?'_

'Ours _, don't you mean?'_ Nicky asked, her lips twitching to the barest hint of a smirk.

' _Touché.'_

Slowly, Nicky became aware of her surroundings once more. The cold water steadily dripping down her back and off the tip of her muzzle. The occasional _"Woosh"_ of cars passing on the highway. The hateful pink van sitting not twenty meters away on the side of the road. But most importantly, she felt Judas' presence beside her and his soft, steady paws on her arm and holding her still-clenched fist.

"Nicky? Nicky, please look at me? C'mon Nicky, please?" His voice sounded so soft and sad. Nicky couldn't stand it when her bunny was sad. Slowly she turned her head to look into his worried face.

' _They really are a stunning shade of blue,'_ she thought, fixating on his irises. She could clearly see her own reflection in those searching mirrors, and the sight didn't give her much cause for comfort. Her fur was all ruffled and damp, her own eyes seemed vacant, yet a snarl remained plastered on her muzzle. But Judas didn't pull away. Slowly, she forced her mouth to relax.

"That's better," Judas crooned gently, stroking her arm softly and sending shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold rain. "Now, let's open your paw, shall we?" he tapped her fist with his fingers, and for the first time, Nicky became aware of a sharp pain emanating from the pad on her palm. Without speaking, she forced the tendons in her forearm and paw to obey her, and slowly uncurled the appendages to reveal a mess of crushed blueberry tart and fresh blood that welled up from three small puncture wounds where her claws had pierced the protective pad. She moved to wipe the mess off on the ground beside her, but Judas held her wrist firmly and dug a clean pawkerchief out of his pocket and set about quietly cleaning her paw.

"Thanks," Nicky croaked past the lump in her throat once the rabbit had finished. The blood was still slowly welling up, so she licked the wounds a few times to clean away the fresh blood and to stimulate clotting.

"Don't mention it," he muttered, sitting back on the root beside her. They sat silently for several more minutes, letting the constant dripping through the branches soak through to their skin and enduring the increasingly cold wind. Not far off, Nicky could see Gideon's van still sitting by the side of the road, the engine still rumbling in idle. She could even make out the slouched figure of Gideon behind the wheel. She turned away, instead choosing to look at Judas.

"So, mind explaining what that was all about?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Sorry?"

"That whole screaming, angry and damn near _savage_ act you just put on!" he snapped. "Gideon's been nothing but nice to you, and the second you find out that we didn't get along back when we were kits, you nearly bite his head off!"

"Didn't get along?" Nicky parroted back at him incredulously. "Didn't get along? Judas, he tore your chest open!" She jabbed a finger at his chest where his scars lay hidden.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Judas replied hotly, swatting her paw away. "It was not that bad at all! Besides, that happened _sixteen years ago_!"

"Still! He hurt you badly! How can you ever trust him again?"

"Oh, so just because you lied to me back at Jumbeaux's, I shouldn't trust you?" Judas suggested darkly. Nicky flinched. "Or how about how _I_ hurt _you_ at the press conference? Not to mention the whole city! Does that mean you don't trust me?"

"Judas, I—" she protested, realising her mistake. "That's not what I meant! That's different!"

"Oh, really? Because I fail to see how."

"You never actually injured me!" She knew it was a weak argument, and Judas saw it too.

"I threatened to _spray_ you Nicky," Judas said quietly, sorrow clear in his face. "I know that left a wound at least as bad as if I actually had."

"But, that— that was justified!"

"How? Pay tell, how on _earth_ was that response justified? And don't say because you threatened me," he interjected as Nicky opened her mouth ready to claim just that. "I knew you wouldn't actually attack me!"

"Be-because you'd already been attacked by a fox before!" she answered finally, glad to finally have a valid argument again.

"By Gideon?"

"Yes!" Nicky replied quickly. "Exactly!"

"So, because I had some emotional scaring from the past, it was okay for me to lash out and hurt you?"

"Ye—" Nicky cut herself off, realising too late she'd been trapped again. Her mouth continued to hang open, claw raised as if to make her point while Judas continued.

"What about his scars, Nicky?" Judas asked quietly, pointing towards the van. She flinched again, and snapped her mouth closed, scattering a cascade of water droplets from the end of her snout. "Shouldn't they then justify _his_ actions? _His_ lashing out?" Nicky whined quietly, her shoulders sagging in defeat. Judas reached his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a comfortable side-hug. Nicky was grateful for the extra body heat as well as the emotional support. It was starting to get decidedly uncomfortable outside.

"No. I guess not," she mumbled.

"No. Just like my actions at the Press Conference weren't justified. Understandable, maybe," he again pre-empted Nicky's objection, "but hardly justified."

"But, I've forgiven you," she protested quietly, turning her head to again look him in the eyes.

"And I've forgiven him," Judas replied just as quietly, resting his forehead against hers. Nicky suddenly felt a whole lot warmer than she had a second ago.

"I care about you, Judas," she whispered, a tear leaking out of her eye to be lost amongst the streams of rainwater now pouring through her fur. "I'm not sure if I can just overlook something like this."

"Mammals change, Nicky." Judas' paw reached up and wiped away the single tear from her fur, somehow finding it despite the fact that both mammals were quickly becoming soaked. "We're both evidence of that." Nicky slowly nodded her understanding.

"Still…" she said, "it doesn't mean I have to like him."

"Fine," Judas sighed heavily, leaning back, "but please come back to the car. I'm slowly starting to freeze out here."

Nicky snorted, jumping on the change of topic. "Of course you are, Fluff. I'm surprised you rabbits can even survive with such a pitiful coat!"

"Oh, shut it will you!" Judas smiled. "It's just been too warm in your apartment for my winter coat to start to come in yet, a problem I wouldn't have had if you'd let me go out more often!" He stood up and offered his paw to Nicky. After a moment's hesitation she took it and he helped her up.

"You know exactly why I couldn't do that!" Nicky grinned back, rubbing her sore rump. The cold tree root certainly hadn't been the most comfortable choice of seat.

"There couldn't have really been that many reporters out there," Judas answered, picking up both bags, and hobbling back to the van. "Surely you could have helped me to avoid them."

"Not with that leg," Nicky muttered disapprovingly, taking both bags off the buck, much to his irritation.

"Whatever. I'll let Gideon know we're ready to leave." Nicky stopped in her tracks again, frowning at the buck. She was definitely not happy to be getting back into the same van as the fat baker, and she made sure to convey her sentiment to Judas. He just rolled his eyes, and trudged around to the driver's side door to speak to the other fox. Nicky opened the van again, and tossed both of their now-soaked bags into the empty space inside. She tried very hard not to pay attention to what the other two were talking about.

When she returned to the passenger door, she paused again, torn between the desire to sit as far away from the other fox as possible, and her instinct to get between Judas and his former tormentor. Judas took the decision out of her paws before she could make up her mind, crossing in front of the vehicle and squeezing under Nicky's arm to retake his previous seat. With a low growl, Nicky got back in her seat again and pulled the door shut.

Silence again filled the cabin of the van, broken only by the gentle swishing of the windscreen wipers and the quiet roar of the heater. Nicky closed her eyes and let the warm air ruffle her fur, trying to forget who's van she was sitting in.

"Miss Wilde," Gideon began nervously, "A-Ah'm real sorry if—"

"Listen up!" Nicky snapped, whirling about to face him. She purposefully ignored his red-rimmed eyes and moister-than-normal nose. "I'm going to say this once, and once only. I don't like you. I have no intention of being your friend, so if you're going to apologise, don't waste your breath. The _only_ reason I got back in this van is because Judas asked me to. For some reason he trusts you. But I don't. You haven't earned that yet. And if I _ever_ hear that you abuse his trust? I. Will. _End_. You. Got it?"

"Yes Ma'am," Gideon squeaked.

"Good," Nicky settled back into her seat, ignoring the look of shock on Judas' face. "Now drive." Gideon did as he was instructed without further sound, and before long they were back on their way to Bunnyburrow. Nicky set herself to stare out the window for the remaining two hours until their destination. After five minutes one of the males turned the radio on, and quiet, country music lulled her into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **A little different perhaps, but I hope you enjoyed that!**

 **Thank you all for helping to make 2017 such an amazing year for me! I have grown more as a writer in the past 12 months than I ever expected, and I can only hope that the next 12 bring about just as much growth, for your sakes as well as mine! Enjoy the remainder of your 2017, and I'll be 'seeing' you all soon!**

 **Happy New Year**


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay, so this took a little longer than I would have liked, it's been a rather hectic few weeks and I had to re-write part of the chapter. But, I did promise several of you that I would have this chapter out before the end of the week, so here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 28: Down the Rabbit Hole_

"Thanks again, Gideon," Judas quietly shook the fox's paw as they sat side-by-side. Nicky had jumped out of the van as soon as it had pulled up to Judas' home without saying another word to their driver. She stood outside now, impatiently waiting in the darkness on the gravel driveway for the buck to finish his conversation. At least it was no longer raining on the vixen.

"Tha's a'right, Jude," Gideon smiled thinly at the buck.

"And, I, ah, I'm sorry about Nicky," Judas apologised meekly, not knowing exactly what to say about the way she had acted during their trip. "She can be a little overprotective at times."

Personally, Judas had felt her behaviour was childish and rude at the very least, but he did also feel like he had some idea where she was coming from. For a mammal who had survived solely by her own wit and ingenuity, and never trusting anyone other than herself, it was a big ask to expect her to forgive someone just because he had.

Even though Gideon had never harmed her directly, Judas suspected that Nicky might have felt hurt by the tod, just because of the close friendship between the two of them and the rather intense set of circumstances that had brought them so close together. Or something like that at least, he still wasn't entirely sure. So, Judas had spent the better part of their trip trying to decide whether he should be angry at Nicky for her behaviour, embarrassed for how she was acting to their gracious driver, sympathetic for her obvious distress, or annoyed at himself for not anticipating the conflict. Suffice it to say, he'd been rather unsuccessful in deciding which, and instead had been forced to settle for an uncomfortable mix.

Gideon's smile relaxed and he chuckled quietly, "Well, Ah guess tha's only ta be expected! They ten' ta git tha' way!"

Judas raised an eyebrow quizzically, "Sorry? Who's 'they'?"

"Ya know, them!" Gideon waved his paw vaguely towards where Nicky was waiting impatiently on the gravel driveway, backlit by the lights from the few above-ground windows. "Vixens!" Gideon clarified at Judas' continued confusion. "Once they made their choice, God help the mamm'l as gits in their way!"

"Their choice? What choice?" Judas demanded, more confused than before. Gideon's smile slowly faded.

"Ya don' know, do ya?" he answered slowly.

"Know? Choice? Gid, what on earth are you talking about?!" Judas demanded hotly. He was beginning to get more than a little irritated at the tod's confusing non-answers. Gideon fixed the rabbit with an amused smile and opened his mouth.

"Well, it's—"

"Carrots! C'mon! Your parents are waiting!" Nicky called out impatiently.

"Just a minute!" he called out the window, waiting for Gideon to finally explain why Nicky had become so protective over the past month.

"Actually, Ah don' think it's mah place ta say," he grinned slyly. Judas briefly wondered whether all fox kits took an extra class in school to learn how to best infuriate other mammals. If so, that damned smirk must've been on the exam.

"Ugghhh!" Judas groaned. "Why not?"

"Judas!" Nicky called, louder this time. Both males flinched.

"Ask her yerself," Gideon grinned. "Now go! Ah don' wan' ta git in trouble fer keepin ya longer then Ah should!" Judas felt he was only half joking.

"Fine," he sighed. "See ya around, Gid."

"See ya, Jude," Gideon smiled back as Judas finally exited the van. He grabbed their bags from the back and went to join Nicky. Although the rain had stopped, the fall of night had sent the temperature plummeting and the cold wind on his still-damp clothes was very uncomfortable. Suddenly he felt guilty for leaving Nicky to wait in it as long as he had.

"Glad to see you finally decided to come and see _your_ parents, Fluff," she said dryly.

"Sorry," he apologised meekly. "We were talking." Nicky snorted, and eyed the pink van as it turned about and drove off into the night. Another gust of wind stole through the gravel parking lot, and Judas shivered as it penetrated through to his damp fur.

"Shall we head in?" he suggested hopefully. Nicky gave up snarling at the taillights, and turned to the buck.

"Oh, so now that _you're_ cold, we should get moving, hey?" Judas ducked his head and offered chastised smile. Nicky snorted again, and led the way towards the wooden veranda at the front of the house. Judas followed with a brief sigh, carrying both bags with him, catching up with the vixen just as she reached the front door. Judas saw the vixen's shoulders straighten right before she raised a paw to knock. But, before her paw could even contact the wooden door, it sung open to reveal Stu and Bonnie, both beaming at their guests.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Bonnie demanded joyfully, stepping to the side. "Come in! Come in!"

"Bonnie, Stu," Nicky smiled, and Judas could hear the relief in her voice as she spoke. She stepped gracefully through the open door. "It's so good to—ugh!" Bonnie cut the vixen off by pulling her into a tight hug, squashing her arms to her sides. Judas threw Nicky a smug grin as she glanced back to him in surprise while Bonnie nuzzled into her side a little.

"Good to see you again, Son," Stuart boomed, skirting around the females to offer his paw to Judas, before drawing him into a bone-crushing embrace of his own.

"It's good to be home, Dad," he gasped out, a little surprised at just how much he actually meant it. He flicked his eyes around the empty hall when his father released him, glad to see that his parents had gotten his text and put all the younger kits to bed early. He hadn't felt that Nicky would really appreciate the chaos that usually accompanied a first-time visit to the burrow after all the drama on the way over.

"Judas!" Bonnie snapped, and Judas quickly refocused his attention on his mother. But instead of holding her arms wide, demanding a hug from him, she was glaring at him, holding Nicky at arms' length. "Why is Nicky all soaked?"

"Errr…" Judas answered convincingly, glancing nervously between his mother and Nicky. The vixen seemed to be looking at him with the same uncertainty he was giving her.

"It's freezing out there! She could get sick! She's about to start at the Academy! She can't afford to get sick!" During her tirade, she released Nicky and began advancing on her son. Without realising it, Judas slowly backed away, until he ran into the wall. Out of room to escape, he swallowed nervously.

"Um, Bonnie?" Nicky interjected quietly just as the doe reached her son. "Is there a bathroom or something I can use to get changed in?"

"Oh! Of course, dear!" Bonnie turned about with a pleasant smile. "That room off to the side there's for you," she pointed across the hall to one of the larger bedrooms they kept aboveground for visitors. "It's got an ensuite, so why don't you take your bags and you can go and get yourself all nice and cleaned up? I'm sure you'll feel much better then!" Nicky nodded mutely, and picked up her bag from where Judas had dropped it. The three rabbits watched silently as she crossed the room to the door Bonnie had pointed out. As she was about to enter, Nicky paused and turned around, opening her mouth as if to speak, before apparently thinking better of it, and slipping quietly into the room.

"Now," Bonnie began, turning back to her son, "where were we?"

"Um, how much you missed me?" Judas suggested with a forced smile. He spread his arms, hoping a hug might help to diffuse his mother. She didn't look impressed.

"How could you let her get so wet, Son?" she asked again, quieter this time, and with less fire in her voice. She finally stepped into his arms, before quickly withdrawing again, a look of concern in her eyes as she felt that he too was damp.

"It's uh, it's a little complicated, Mom," Judas provided.

"Well, uncomplicate it then! We have the time!" she indicated to the closed door where Nicky had disappeared, the faint sound of a shower running could just be heard coming from behind the two sets of doors.

Judas sighed, "Well, it kind of has to do with Gideon."

"Gideon?" Stu spoke up. There was a touch of suspicion to the question. "What'd he do?"

"Nothing!" Judas protested quickly. He didn't want his parents getting the wrong idea about the fox who had been so willing to help them. "Well, no, not _nothing_ ," he corrected himself. His parents both looked at him in confusion. Judas sighed again.

"You remember how I was telling you both about how we found all those missing predators a few months ago?" His parents nodded slowly, briefly glancing at each other. "Well, during that time, Nicky found out about my scars."

Judas watched his mother's eyes go wide and her lips slowly form a small 'o'. As usual though, his father was a little slower to catch on.

"Your scars? What scars?"

"You know," Bonnie answered quickly, "the ones he got from Gideon when they were both kits!"

"Oh," Stu said simply. "Oh!" he repeated a second later as he made the connection.

"At first, Nicky didn't realise that Gideon was the same fox," Judas continued morosely. "But as soon as she realised… Well, she didn't want anything to do with him. She demanded that he pull over, and she got out of the van. Of course, I followed her, but it took me a little while to calm her down, and by that time we were both soaked."

"And so that's why you asked us to keep the kits away tonight," Bonnie surmised. "I think I get it now."

"I don't," Stu said. "Well, not entirely at least," he added. "If you forgave Gideon for all that, why should it matter to her so much then?"

Judas shrugged, "She gets a bit protective at times," he explained. "According to Gid, it's a vixen thing." Bonnie snorted, drawing confused looks from both males.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she grinned, rolling her eyes, "but I just think you two can be a little too cute at times." Stuart and Judas turned to look at each other again, both raising an eyebrow in matching query. Bonnie just laughed again.

"Why don't you grab your stuff and get cleaned up as well," she suggested lightly, heading towards the small entertaining kitchen attached to the entry hall. Judas nodded, and picked up his bag, heading towards the bank of elevators on the far side of the hall from the entry door. His room was on the third level down, and he just hoped that he wouldn't be cornered by too many of his siblings before he could get to the showers. His clothes really were beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Judas?" His mother called when he was nearly at the elevators. He turned around to face her again. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, to my room?"

"I just told you guys, your room's that one!" Judas' eyes followed his mother's outstretched paw in disbelief as it pointed to the door Nicky had vanished behind. The sound of the fur dryer could now be heard through the closed door. His ears felt as if they'd caught on fire as he realised what his mother was suggesting.

"Mom!" he gasped.

"What?" she asked simply. "It sounds like she's almost done, so you won't have to wait long, if that's what you're worried about."

"But, Mom!" Judas repeated. "It's not— We're not— She's not my—!"

"Oh, come now," Bonnie rolled her eyes, leaning on the kitchen counter. Stu stood opposite her, but fixed his son with a knowing grin. "You don't think we're smart enough to see what's going on between you two?"

Judas swallowed hard. "Uh, and what's that?" he asked nervously. His father snorted.

"C'mon Jude," he said smugly. "The jig is up. We know you two are together. Even a mole could see it!"

"Moles aren't blind, dear," Bonnie corrected her husband fondly.

"Whatever. Still, point is, there's no use hiding it from us! You know we like Nicky, she's a great mammal!" He crossed his arms and stared Judas down with a triumphant smirk.

Judas stared open mouthed at his parents. They were okay with him dating a fox. A _fox_! Never mind the fact that he wasn't. _"Well, not yet, anyway,"_ a small voice added smugly, reminding him how soft, and comfortable he'd felt curled in her arms that night they slept togeth—. He shook his head pushed the memory as far away as he could and forced himself to focus on the seeming impossibility his parents were posing. After years of prejudice and paranoia, _especially_ of foxes, here they were, casually saying they were more than happy for him to bring a vixen into the family.

"A-are you sure you'd really be okay with that?" He'd asked the question quietly, without realising the words were leaving his lips before it was too late.

"Of course we are, Son," Bonnie said softly, leaving the kitchen behind and bundling her son up into a gentle embrace.

"Sorry about that," Nicole called out as she exited the bedroom, drawing three pairs of eyes to her. She was wearing a simple pair of black leggings and a baggy grey hoodie. Her facial fur was all fluffed out, giving her normally narrow snout a rounder appearance than Judas was used to seeing. She was clutching her tail in front of herself, carefully combing through it with a soft brush. If Nicky's cheeks looked soft and fluffy to the buck, Nicky's tail looked, right then and there, to be the softest, fluffiest thing Judas had ever seen. He felt a sudden urge to take the brush out of Nicky's paw and finish grooming it for her.

"Judas?" The buck's head whipped up to meet the vixen's piercing gaze. "Were you just ogling my tail in front of your parents?" His ears caught fire again. His parents burst out laughing.

"See, Jude!" Stuart chuckled. "Nicky knows she doesn't need to hide it!" Judas' jaw dropped in fear.

"Hide what?" Nicky asked, casually resuming her grooming, completely missing the younger buck's frantic expressions of warning.

"About you and Judas, dear," Bonnie answered with a smile. "We've known for weeks that you two were a couple." Nicky froze mid-stroke.

"Mom!" Judas hissed. This was easily the most embarrassing scenario he'd ever found himself in before, and with his family, that was saying something. "We're not _actually_ together!" _'Yet,'_ he wanted to add.

"Wait, so you're meaning to tell me that you two _haven't_ been sleeping together since you left the hospital?"

"Stu!" Bonnie scolded sharply.

"Dad!" Judas all but shouted at the same time. He glanced nervously across at the vixen who very suddenly looked completely overwhelmed. His own ears felt like they should have been melting off his head by now.

"What?" Judas heard his father ask defensively. Nicky slowly turned to face the younger buck. "We were both thinking it!" Stu continued to defend himself to his wife. Judas barely paid attention, he was busy feeling the bottom of his stomach drop out as Nicky's shocked expression slowly morphed into her impish smirk.

"Weeeell," she drew out the word until she had everyone's attention. "We have slept together on more than one occasion."

"Nicky!" Judas squeaked.

"Oh!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"See!" Stu crowed.

Both older rabbits turned their gazes to Judas expectantly.

"No! Not like that!" he panicked. "Slept! Together! With a full-stop in the middle! Nothing else! Just sleeping! In the same bed!" Neither of his parents looked convinced.

"Oh, I seem to recall there being a little more than just sleeping, Fluff," Nicky added smugly. Judas glared back at her, _'I'll deal with you later,'_ he threatened her silently. She shrugged unconcernedly.

"She started chewing on my ear while she was sleeping," he explained simply to his parents and snatched his bag from the floor. Ignoring the expressions of stunned shock on his parents' faces, he made his way towards the elevator, correcting himself only at the last second so he didn't head towards Nicky's room after all. "Now, _if_ you don't mind, _I'm_ still wet and cold. I'm going for a shower, and then I am going to bed. I'll see you all tomorrow!" He reached the door and kept his back turned, waiting awkwardly for the elevator to reach his level after his abrupt departure.

After an eternal seventeen seconds, the doors chimed open, and he stepped in, whirling about to see his parents still staring at him in confusion and disbelief, while Nicky kept grinning smugly right up until the stainless-steel doors finally closed on them again. Judas slumped up against the far wall. _'What have I gotten myself into!'_ he groaned pitifully to himself.

* * *

Judas groaned, slowly sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Usually the seven o'clock alarm on his phone would have been a sleep in. But then again, he didn't usually stay up past two in the morning texting back and forth. At least he wouldn't be the only one struggling with the lack of sleep this morning. Nicky always seemed to struggle with a lack of sleep more than he did. It was one of the reasons he had insisted that he sleep on the couch at her place once his leg had healed enough.

He slipped out of bed and stretched upwards, his fingertips brushing the sealed-dirt ceiling. His leg twinged slightly where the bullet had torn through his calf muscle. He ignored it as he slowly brought his paws forward and down to reach for his toes. The twinge grew into a hot ache as he approached his goal. Gritting his teeth, he strained further, his leg now screaming at him to stop. _'There!'_ one of his fingertips barely scraped the ground, and he held the posture as long as he could – all of eight seconds – before he relaxed with a gasp of relief.

Scowling, he flopped back onto the side of his bed. Once, he'd been able to place both palms flat on the ground in front of him. Once, he'd been able to run for kilometres unchecked. Once, he'd been able to kick a rhinoceros to the ground. _'I wonder if I'll ever be the same?'_ he wondered morosely. He rolled his ankle around and mindlessly continued the rest of the set of exercises his physio had prescribed. The doctors had said it was possible when he'd asked them the question, but the sideways glances they'd exchanged had left him less than convinced. Still, they had given him the exercises and program to follow to give him the best chance at recovery, and so he followed it religiously, only pushing the limits a little. He found it hard to reign in his enthusiasm, but he also wanted to avoid over-stressing his injury.

As he stood up to repeat the set, this time managing to bring a second fingertip in contact with the ground, his mind slipped back to the previous evening. He'd gotten back from his shower to find a message waiting on his phone from Nicky, asking if he'd managed to get lost on his way back to his room. Although the message had been short and snarky, he knew she'd really been asking if they were okay, and that he wasn't truly mad at her. He'd sent an equally snarky reply, and subtly let her know that yes, they were good. Somehow, before he'd realised it, a huge portion of the night had slipped away.

He smiled as he finished up his exercises, panting at what once would have been as tiring as a simple walk in the park. A thin film of sweat had built up under his fur, so he picked out some clothes and made his way to the shared male bathroom for the floor with a slight spring in his step, well, until he stepped wrong and his leg shot shards of glass up his nerves.

Judas knew he was probably over-analysing things too much, but since his parents had made their embarrassing assumptions the night before, he had started reading more into the playful tone Nicky had been using in her messages.

He'd have been lying if he said the idea of them being a couple had never crossed his mind, but he hadn't really considered the _possibility_ that she might ever be interested in him. But it was a hard one to forget when his parents already thought they _were_ together.

Judas reached the bathroom and found an empty stall, his body going through the motions of cleaning without any real supervision from his mind. The noise of his brothers and cousins going about their individual morning rituals forming an indistinct backdrop of sound for his thoughts.

Nicky was attractive, there was no doubt about that. And, if he was being truly honest with himself, Judas had to admit that she was more than that. She was _stunning_. Surely, she had to have better prospects than a dull, grey rabbit buck. Heck, he'd even thought that she'd had a thing for Gideon before she found out who he was yesterday. Then again, _just_ friends didn't stay up past midnight texting each other back and forth. Or did they? _'The thing is,'_ Judas mused as he turned the tap off and began wicking the excess water out of his fur with the sickle-shaped fur blade, _'I don't really know how a girl behaves when she likes you.'_ He'd seen plenty of movies with convoluted love stories, of course. Everyone had. But he knew that they were hardly reality. The only problem was that he'd never had a girlfriend, so he didn't know what that reality was.

He sighed and stepped out of the stall and onto the automatic fur-drier grate. _'Why do feelings have to be so hard and confusing? Why can't mammals just come right out and tell you what they're feeling?'_

' _Why don't you?'_ the small, niggling voice in the back of his head interjected smugly, sounding frighteningly like Nicky herself.

Judas shook his head sharply, ignoring the puzzled glance his brother Mason sent his way. _'It's not that simple!'_ he protested.

' _Oh? And why not?'_ the voice persisted.

' _Because!'_ he spluttered internally, ' _It's just not!'_

' _Do you like her?'_

' _What?'_

' _Do. You._ Like. _Her?'_ Judas paused as the question rang through his head. There it was. The question he'd been avoiding since that morning he'd woken up curled next to the vixen in bed. The question that had been eating at him for even longer than that. The question there was no going back from.

He snapped out of his trance and stormed away from the drier and quickly pulled his clothes over his now dry fur. He ignored the glances he was now attracting from more of the bucks in the room. He headed for the door.

' _Well?'_ the voice quietly demanded as he stormed down the passageway to his room.

"Fine!" he hissed under his breath. "Yes! Happy now?" The irritating voice was silent again, and Judas looked up with a snort. Mary, one of his older sisters, was looking at him worriedly as he passed by. He gave an embarrassed smile, and raised a paw in what he hoped was an assuring wave.

He was relieved when he finally made it back to his room. The burrow already felt crowded to him again, even with half of his siblings likely already outside the warren by now. He felt like he needed space again. He wished he was back at Nicky's place. He sat down on the side of the bed and took a deep breath.

' _I like Nicky.'_ He tested the words out in his head. They felt strange. Not wrong, strange. But strange in that they seemed so easy to think. Familiar, even.

"I like Nicky." He whispered the words this time, seeing if there was any difference in admitting it out loud to keeping it just in his head. There wasn't, except perhaps that they felt slightly more confident. "I. _Like_. Nicky." This time he spoke clearly to the emptiness of his room. His stomach lurched slightly, but the words were confident. True. He grinned. Then he frowned. What should he do next? Tell her? Play it casual until he could work out what she felt? Should he wait until after she graduated, or should he tell her before she left? Three months was a long time to hold his feelings inside, not knowing. On the other paw, _if_ she did feel the same way, three months apart might feel even longer. Then again, if she didn't feel the same, the time apart might be enough to save their friendship. Or tear it apart.

Judas groaned and buried his head in his paws. _'Why does everything have to be so complicated?'_ he asked again.

A quiet ping from his phone interrupted his wallowing and his stomach dropped again. It was _her_. He was sure of it. He reached out his paw and tentatively picked up the device and looked at the screen in horror, his mouth went dry and his heart missed a beat. On the screen was a message from the vixen after all. It was just one word, but a word that had the power to change everything.

" _HELP!"_

* * *

Judas took the stairs. Three flights below ground were far enough that, in normal circumstances, he would have taken the elevator without a second thought. But this was far from normal, and with dozens of rabbits milling about, waiting to move between levels, the staircase was by far the quicker route. That didn't stop the fire in his leg though as he sprinted up the stairs two at a time.

By the time he burst out onto the ground floor, startling his family as he pushed past, he was panting hard and his leg was in agony. He grit his teeth and hobbled through the press of family members near the elevators as fast as he could. The frightening scowl on his short muzzle probably did more to carve a path between the bodies than any amount of shouting could have.

Dozens of scenarios had presented themselves to Judas in his mad dash through the tunnels, each being discarded almost as soon as they had appeared.

A fire? No smoke. Spiders? Nicky had shown before that they didn't scare her. A snake? Wrong season. Besides, the security system was state of the art for snake detection and repulsion. Had she injured herself somehow? With what?

By the time he'd reached the entry hall, he'd settled on the one possibility that seemed most likely. Someone in his family was threatening her. His fur bristled at the thought, but it did seem to make sense. Not everyone in the family would be as welcoming to foxes as he and his parents had become. Old habits died hard, especially when they were as ingrained as some of the prejudice out in the 'Burrows. Yet, when he finally broke through the press of his relatives, he was brought to a sudden halt by the sight before him.

Nicky hadn't made it more than a few steps from her door before she'd been trapped. Thinking retrospectively, Judas realised that she'd never really stood much of a chance. After all, it was a Saturday morning, and the Fluffle was out in full force.

The morning cartoons playing on the huge wall-sized television that would have been respectable for even an elephant, had been forgotten by the horde of young rabbits who had gathered around Nicole Wilde as she had attempted to leave her room. The kits had found something far more interesting.

The scene looked both bizarre and familiar to Judas as he watched the proceedings from the front of the small crowd, which he now realised had also gathered to watch the scene with interest. He smiled as he allowed himself to finally catch his breath. Nicky stood stock-still with her tail bushed out and standing tall. She was very carefully not showing her teeth to her captors but was nervously sniffing the air. The kits all stood just as still, except for their noses, which all seemed to twitch in time with each other's.

Judas' arrival had caused enough of a stir in the older crowd of onlookers that Nicky's eyes quickly found his. _'Well? Do something!'_ her glance seemed to plead. Judas grinned and shook his head, _'Payback time!'_ Nicky huffed in response. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the gang of youngsters, a motley mix of Judas' youngest siblings and some of his nieces and nephews.

"Hey there, guys!" she said brightly, crouching down lower to appear less threatening. One of the older kits in the mob shuffled forwards, and Nicky turned her smile to the young girl that Judas identified as Abi, his own sister, serial trouble maker and de-facto leader of the Fluffle. Judas' grin grew marginally wider. _'Oh, this'll be good!'_ he sniggered to himself.

"Hello there!" Nicky said to the young doe. "What's your name?" Abi's nose twitched.

"Are you our Aunty Nicky?" she asked innocently, ignoring the vixen's question. Nicole blanched slightly. The crowd of older bunnies on the side all chuckled quietly at the doe's question and Judas felt his ears begin to heat up. His brother Simon beside him nudged him playfully with his elbow.

"I, ah? I guess you could call me that?" Nicky stammered, intentionally not looking over to where Judas stood.

Abi nodded seriously and stepped up closer to the vixen. Nicky did her best to hide her increasing nervousness as the little girl approached, but Judas could read the tension building in the way her tail twitched ever so slightly, and in the backward shift of her ears. Abi reached out and tentatively placed her paw on Nicky's cheek. The touch seemed to surprise her, but Nicky smiled and began to relax into the gentle touch. She obviously didn't realise that the contact was something of a signal from Abi to the other thirty-odd youngsters.

Judas had seen the Fluffle Swarming on multiple occasions in the past. Whenever siblings had brought a friend or partner home with them for the first time, there had been no escaping the soft, fluffy doom that awaited them. Heck, he'd even been a part of the Fluffle when he was a younger kit. It was just part of burrow life. Perhaps that's what made this Swarming so different. He'd never seen the kits swamp any predator before, least of all one that used to make a habit out of eating rabbits. It gave the whole scenario an almost surreal quality as he watched Nicky get knocked back onto the wooden floor by the sudden wave of kits. They swarmed up her arms, and over her legs. Some fought to sit in her lap, and others fought over her tail. They patted her ears and stroked her muzzle. They hugged her, and they kissed her. And throughout it all, her face remained a mask of fear and surprise, a permanent 'O' shape formed by her lips. Judas was in hysterics.

"Judas!" Nicky yelped, finally finding her voice. "Help!"

"Awww, but it's so cute, Nicky!" Judas made no move to interfere.

"Judas Larry Hopps!" Judas' ears stiffened at the vixen's voice emanating from the mass of fur. "Get me up _now_!" He heard a few chuckles from his siblings as the crowd began to disperse, the message was clear, he was on his own now. Judas gulped and moved forwards to the sea of fuzz. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his parents. His father smiled sympathetically at him, and his mother was filming the encounter on her phone, a wide grin on her face.

"Alright, kits!" Judas called out as he approached the overridden vixen. "Fun's over! It's time to leave Nicky alone please!" A chorus of groans and muttered disappointment echoed back from the kits as they reluctantly began to disengage, slowly revealing the dishevelled vixen at the bottom of the pile. She glared at Judas, and he cringed, knowing that she would soon find a way to repay him. He held out a paw to help her stand. She grasped it, and he hauled her up, trying to ignore the delicious warmth that seemed to spread from the contact.

"Judas," she growled quietly, "they're _still_ on my _tail_."

"Don't worry," he smiled timidly, "I'll take care of it!"

He stepped around her and gently took hold of the base of her tail in his right paw, and combed his left down its length, removing the clingy paws of the remaining three kits with as much with the glare he shot them as with his paw. _'Not that I can really blame them,'_ he grinned to himself, _'it is_ really _soft!'_ He glanced down its luxurious length again, now free of little bunny kits, and gave it another quick comb through with his fingers to remove some of the shorter fur the kits had left on it.

"There!" he exclaimed, standing up again. "All bett—" Judas froze as he came nose to nose with Nicky, her expression wild. Almost hungry. He glanced past her snout to see his parent's shocked faces. Nicky exhaled shakily, ruffling his whiskers and flooding his nose with her warm breath and strong scent; musky and spicey, accompanied by the strange smell of flowers.

His higher brain functions seemed to have halted while his heart had decided to race furiously as his earlier epiphany returned in full force, framed by Nicky's very present face. For a second or an hour, the outside world ceased to exist. There was only Nicky and him, and the dazzling realisation that he was madly in love with her. He opened his mouth to tell her.

"Don't," Nicky growled breathily before Judas could utter a sound, her voice extraordinarily low. A sudden flush of warmth shot through his body as she began to speak. " _Don't_ touch my tail like that again." Each word was a laboured breath by the vixen, and Judas' senses struggled to avoid overloading in the heavy air. The scent of flowers grew marginally stronger. _'It almost smells like violets,'_ a disconnected portion of his mind decided, but he was hardly aware of it. He was hardly aware of anything except the feeling of his stomach dropping with Nicole's sudden pronouncement.

"In public," she added in an even quieter tone, a hungry smile tugging at her lips causing Judas' stomach to flip back upright. Nicky wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and the spell was broken. Judas hurriedly stepped back and took a gulp of fresh air. It was strangely dissatisfying.

"I, uh, I didn't mean— Sorry!" Judas stuttered, nervously casting his eyes anywhere but Nicky's steady gaze, her smug expression had resumed its usual position on her face. The kits had all retreated to their cartoons, and the gathered crowd of older rabbits had mostly vanished. That is, except for Stu and Bonnie who were slowly approaching wearing a pair of matching grins.

"Well," Bonnie called out cheerfully, "the kits all seem to like you, _Aunt_ Nicky!" Nicole shuddered and turned to the older doe with a smile on her face.

"Not _exactly_ the welcome I was expecting," she replied lightly, shooting a pretend-fearful glance over her shoulder towards the crowded couch of bunny kits.

"Oh, you'll get used to it!" Bonnie chuckled. Nicky's ears twitched barely, betraying her discomfort with the idea to Judas, although he didn't think his parents would likely have read the sign for what it was.

"Um, how about we get something to eat," he suggested, changing the topic quickly. "And then, if you like," he smiled at Nicky, "I could show you around the farm? Or Bunnyburrow perhaps?" Judas stepped around Nicky to lead the way to the kitchen but hissed in pain as he tried to support his weight on his injured leg. The vixen's response was immediate.

"What happened?" she demanded, wrapping her arm about his waist to support his weight in the blink of an eye. "What did you do to your leg?"

"I, uh, I ran up the stairs?" he answered quietly.

" _What_!?" Nicky and Bonnie exclaimed as one, and Judas withered under the sharp glares of both females.

"Your text sounded urgent!" Judas protested weakly. Nicky looked at him blankly.

"My text?" she asked, before a switch clicked in her mind. "My text! Oh, no! Judas, I'm so sorry!" She gasped in horror. "I didn't even think about how that could sound!" She shifted her arm about him, and before he knew it, Judas was suddenly in the air, cradled in Nicky's arms, much to both his and his parents' surprise. Nicky quickly glanced about and spotted an empty recliner chair by the window and rushed over to carefully place the buck in the seat.

"What was I _thinking_!" Nicky muttered to herself as she gently pushed the lever to bring the footrest up for Judas. "That might have set your recovery back _weeks_! How does it feel, Judas?" she asked, gently placing her paws around the wound, checking for any swelling or bleeding.

"I'm _fine_ , Nicky!" Judas finally found his voice and tried to sit up. Nicky's paw appeared on his chest, and firmly held him down.

"Sit. Still!" she instructed. Judas sighed as he did as he was told, and Nicky continued to fuss over his leg. His parents slowly approached the chair, a knowing grin on Bonnie's face.

' _Perfect!'_ Judas thought to himself, _'There goes any chance that we'd be able to spend some time alone together! What next?'_

* * *

 **A.N.**

 **So, I hope that worked for you guys. It was a bit of a challenge to carry through the mood of the previous chapter and keep the fun, embarrassing and cute moments all in the same chapter, so I'd like to know what you thought about it.**


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